USPS Is Suspending Services in These States, Effective Now
Shutterstock
Checking the mail is part of a daily routine for most Americans: Some of us even know our U.S. Postal Service (USPS) mail carrier by name. But there are plenty of other situations when we have to take a trip to our local post office—and it can be very frustrating to arrive and find it closed. Thankfully, that doesn’t happen often, and when it does, the Postal Service is quick to alert customers. Now, three states are facing disruptions, and some situations are more serious than others. Read on to find out where the USPS is suspending services.
RELATED: USPS Is Making These Changes to Your Mail, Starting Now .
Shutterstock
Wildfires have been ravaging parts of Maui, Hawaii , since Aug. 9, The Washington Post reported. The death toll has climbed to 36 people in what officials called an “unprecedented” situation, with mass evacuations ongoing , according to CNN.
As a result, the USPS issued a service alert yesterday, notifying the public that two post offices suspended operations in Lahaina. The historic city , which is located on Maui, experienced some of the most devastating destruction resulting from the wildfires, the Associated Press reported.
“The ongoing wildfires on Maui have prompted the closure of the Lahaina Main Post Office, located at 1760 Honoapiilani Highway, and the Lahaina Downtown Post Office, located at 132 Papalaua Street,” an Aug. 9 USPS press release reads.
As damage continues to be assessed, the Postal Service noted that it will keep residents informed.
“Mail service for customers of these offices will be relocated to nearby USPS facilities as soon as all Maui postal facilities have been assessed and transportation routes are open,” the release reads. “An announcement of the alternate service locations will be made as soon as that information is available.”
In a statement provided to Best Life , Duke Gonzales , APR, USPS strategic communications specialist, confirmed that the agency is “still assessing the impact to our operations.”
RELATED: USPS Just Issued a New Warning About Mailing Cash .
Shutterstock
While wildfires are confined to Hawaii, the USPS is facing disruptions elsewhere as well.
According to an Aug. 9 Service Alert, the North Andover Post Office at 112 Main Street in North Andover, Massachusetts, was temporarily closed. The alert cites “ water damage ” as the cause and notes that customers’ mail and retail services were moved to the nearby Lawrence Post Office at 431 Common Street. “The facility was closed on Tuesday as the fire department had to shutoff electrical service to the building due to the flooding,” Steve Doherty, strategic communications specialist for the USPS, told Best Life in a statement. “We’re still assessing the damage at this time and have no definitive return date but crews will be working diligently to make any necessary repairs and reopen the facility as quickly as possible to minimize any negative impact to our customers.”
He continued, “We appreciate our customers’ patience as they work out of the Lawrence Post Office while we get our North Andover station back online.”
RELATED: See a Sticker on Your Mailbox? Don’t Touch It, USPS Says .
Shutterstock
The USPS confirmed that a post office in Thornton, Colorado , at 8804 Washington Street, has closed as well, but did not provide additional reasoning. The alert notes that mail and retail services were moved to the North Pecos Office at 1411 Cortez Street in Denver.
In a statement to Best Life , James Boxrud , spokesperson for the USPS, explained that the Thornton facility was leased, and now that the lease ended, the owner “has chosen to redevelop the location.”
“Our colleagues have been communicating for some time with the city in advance of this change, and we are working to find retail space nearby,” Boxrud said, adding that the delivery routes from the Thornton location were unaffected.
But while the Thornton Post Office is currently closed, another Colorado location recently opened back up. The Fountain Post Office closed late last month after a vehicle crash , the USPS said in a local press release.
“A vehicle drove into the Fountain Post Office forcing postal officials to relocate retail services and PO Box customer services,” the agency said.
While it wasn’t initially clear how serious the damage to the building was, as of Aug. 3, the post office is back up and running, per the Service Alerts page.
Shutterstock
The USPS suspended services in two states earlier this week , including the post office in San Pierre, Indiana , which was temporarily closed due to “safety concerns regarding the building conditions,” according to an Aug. 8 press release. As of Tuesday, the agency was unsure when the repairs would be complete.
Two post offices also shuttered temporarily in Missouri. The Baring Post Office suffered structural damage, while the Bell City Post Office was shuttered due to flooding. Both post offices are undergoing repairs, the agency confirmed in separate local press releases.
- Source: https://about.usps.com/newsroom/service-alerts/residential/hawaii.htm
- Source: https://about.usps.com/newsroom/local-releases/hi/2023/0809-maui-wildfire-prompts-closure-of-two-lahaina-post-offices.htm
- Source: https://about.usps.com/newsroom/service-alerts/residential/massachusetts.htm
- Source: https://about.usps.com/newsroom/service-alerts/residential/colorado.htm
- Source: https://about.usps.com/newsroom/local-releases/co/2023/0727-closure-of-fountain-po.htm
- Source: https://about.usps.com/newsroom/local-releases/in/2023/0807-san-pierre-post-office-to-temporarily-close.htm
- Source: https://about.usps.com/newsroom/local-releases/mo/2023/0805-baring-mo-po-will-be-temporarily-closed.htm
- Source: https://about.usps.com/newsroom/local-releases/mo/2023/0803-bell-city-po-will-be-temporarily-closed.htm
See a Sticker on Your Mailbox? Don’t Touch It, USPS Says
Shutterstock
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.
RELATED: USPS Wants to Raise the Price of Your Mail Again—Here’s When It Could Happen .
Shutterstock
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 .
Shutterstock
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.
Canva
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.”
RELATED: Postmaster General Louis DeJoy Resigns—What It Means for the USPS and Your Mail .
iStock
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.
