Weather conditions this summer have been unpredictable, to say the least. Earlier this week, storms and flash floods hit the Northeastern U.S., wreaking havoc in states like New York and Vermont. On Monday, over 13 million people were under flood watches and warnings, per Time, and in Vermont, Governor Phil Scott called the situation "historic and catastrophic." More storms are brewing today, with those in New England bracing for even more flash flooding, per Fox Weather. But several homes and businesses have already been impacted by water damage, including post offices, forcing the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to temporarily suspend services. Read on to find out more about the latest closures.
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Several Vermont post offices were closed earlier this week.
iStockOn Monday, the USPS announced on its Service Alerts page that 25 post offices were shut down in Vermont as a result of flooding.
In a statement previously provided to Best Life, USPS Strategic Communications Specialist Steve Doherty said, "Much of Vermont and portions of New Hampshire are dealing with severe flooding due to recent storms. Many stations that aren't underwater are inaccessible due to roads being washed out. We are implementing continuation of operations plans for some stations this morning, relocating them to neighboring communities until the water subsides and we can begin the cleanup operations necessary to get them back in place. We know that state, local and federal officials are working diligently to reopen the roads, which will allow us to move the mail throughout the state. As areas are made accessible, we'll be attempting mail delivery where and when it's safe to do so."
As of yesterday, July 12, 20 of the shuttered post offices had resumed operations, including those in Bernard, Bethel, Bondville, Cavendish, Cuttingsville, East Wallingford, Gaysville, Jamaica, Killington, Londonderry, Mount Holly, Peru, Pittsfield, Plymouth, Proctorsville, Quechee, Sharon, Stockbridge, Taftsville, and Tunbridge.
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Ssome in-state post offices remain closed.
ShutterstockFive Vermont post offices remain closed in Bridgewater, Ludlow, S. Londonderry, Weston, and Woodberry. Per the Service Alerts page, the S. Londonderry and Weston post offices are "temporarily closed due to flooding," with operations for both locations moved to the Londonderry Post Office at 5660 VT Route 100.
In addition, the Johnson Post Office, located at 115 Lower Main St. W, has also suspended operations due to flooding. Operations were moved to Hyde Park Post Office, located at 214 Church Street.
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New York post offices were also affected.
iStockThe Hudson Valley area of New York was impacted by flash flooding as well, and on July 10, the USPS announced that operations at the Highlands Falls Post Office in New York were "temporarily suspended due to water damage."
The Highland Falls Post Office remains closed, and on July 12, the agency announced that another location, the Bear Mountain Post Office, also suspended operations due to water damage. In a statement to Best Life, a USPS spokesperson confirmed that the Bear Mountain location was also impacted by recent weather conditions.
"Due to recent flooding, the Bear Mountain Post Office is temporarily closed. Bear Mountain P.O. Box customers may pick up their mail at the Fort Montgomery Post Office, 130 Firefighters Memorial Drive, Fort Montgomery, NY 10922," the spokesperson said. "We apologize to our customers for the inconvenience and plan to have the Bear Mountain and Highland Falls Post Offices reopened as soon as possible."
Services were also suspended out West.
iStockPer a July 12 Service Alert, the USPS is temporarily suspending operations at the Clearfield Post Office in Clearfield, Utah. A spokesperson for USPS did not provide additional details on the closure.
"Until further notice, PO Box customers can pick up their mail and packages at the Ogden Main Post Office located at 3680 Pacific Ave, Ogden UT, 84401," the spokesperson told Best Life. "Customers can also mail items, purchase stamps or pick up parcels at this Post Office."
