USPS Is Suspending Services in These States, Effective Immediately
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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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On 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.
RELATED: See a Sticker on Your Mailbox? Don’t Touch It, USPS Says .
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Five 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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The 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.”
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Per 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.”
See a Sticker on Your Mailbox? Don’t Touch It, USPS Says
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Your mailbox serves a very simple purpose: receiving mail and leaving outgoing mail for a carrier to pick up. Still, some of us enjoy sprucing up our mailboxes, adding personal flair, color, or even decals to help an otherwise standard mailbox stand out. But if you notice a paw print sticker on your mailbox that you didn’t add, don’t start peeling it off just yet—it’s likely part of a program run by the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to help keep carriers safe. Read on to find out what these stickers mean and why you shouldn’t remove them.
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In 2023, more than 5,800 Postal Service workers were attacked by dogs while delivering mail, up from 5,300 in 2022, according to a USPS press release.
Larger cities had the highest numbers of attacks, with Los Angeles, Houston, Chicago, St. Louis, and Cleveland claiming the top five spots.
“Even though a customer’s dog is friendly to most people, it can always have a bad day,” said letter carrier Tara Snyder . “I know, from experience, even when a dog is in the house, customers need to make sure their door is secure so their dog can’t push it open and bite the letter carrier.”
To her point, the USPS writes that “all dogs can bite, even those perceived as nonaggressive.” In fact, many of the attacks that letter carriers report are by dogs whose owners told them, “My dog won’t bite.”
Such an attack can result in consequences for the homeowner, too. According to data from the Insurance Information Institute, the average cost per insurance claim for a dog bite is $64,555, the USPS states.
“When a postal employee suffers an injury, the owner could be responsible for medical bills, lost wages, uniform replacement costs, and pain and suffering for the employee,” they explain.
RELATED: USPS Is Making These Changes to Your Mail, Starting Now .
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To combat dog bites, the Postal Service shared tips on how pet owners can “support safe mail delivery.” These include keeping dogs inside the house or behind a fence, away from the door or in another room, or on a leash.
“Pet owners also should remind children not to take mail directly from a letter carrier as the dog may view the carrier as a threat to the child,” they state.
Mail carriers also follow protocol to keep them aware of areas where dogs might be present, and they’re equipped with scanners to remind them of possible dog hazards, as well as dog warning cards that are added during mail sorting.
In 2020, the USPS added another preventive measure: the PAWS Program . First introduced in Pennsylvania, the program uses mailbox stickers to keep carriers safe.
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The PAWS Program uses color-coded stickers affixed to mailboxes to inform mail carriers about dogs in the area. An orange sticker with a black paw print tells carriers that there is a dog at this home, while a yellow sticker with a black paw print tells them there is a dog at the next house.
Citizens are informed ahead of time that the stickers may appear on their mailboxes. In a notice sent to Lakewood, Ohio, residents, the Postal Service wrote, “Carriers will soon be placing a paw sticker on mailboxes to indicate that a dog or dogs live in the area —yellow indicates dog nearby/orange indicates dog at residence. The sticker will act as a reminder to the carrier that they should proceed with caution, especially when delivering packages to the door.”
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Removing these stickers may do more harm than good, as your mail service can be halted if your carrier feels unsafe. Not only does this affect the home of the dog owner, but it also applies to the entire neighborhood, the USPS said in a previous press release . Service isn’t restored in these instances “until the aggressive dog is properly restrained.”
At the end of the day, these stickers are put in place to “reduce the risk of dog bites and attacks that occur while delivering mail,” which is just another reason you should leave the sticker on your mailbox.
“We all love our dogs,” Kimberly Tilley , acting postmaster for Winston-Salem, told WGHP. “We love our animals, but we … have to take responsibility to protect the carrier and the people around us as well from our animals.”
Tilley added that dog bites are more common than you think, and they can be traumatic for carriers. “Once a carrier has been bit, it sets some fear in them long term for the rest of their life,” she told the outlet.
However, although these stickers are strongly recommended, if you object to having a sticker placed on your mailbox, you can opt out , Kyle Stevens , Southwest Carrier Annex station manager in South Dakota, told KELO in 2021. To do so, the first step would be to contact your local post office.
This story has been updated to include additional entries, fact-checking, and copy-editing.
