READ THIS NEXT: USPS Says You Can’t Do This With Your Mail After Nov. 5. As an independent federal agency, the USPS is responsible for providing regular mailing service to all Americans. But sometimes the situation is simply out of its hands. According to the Postal Service’s website, operations at postal facilities can be disrupted for different reasons, including natural disasters such as floods or fires and quarantines. The agency strives to keep all Americans updated about any adjustments through up-to-date service alerts. “Residential customers should check this Mail Service Disruptions website first for current, frequently-updated information about whether mail is being delivered to your neighborhood or if your local Post Office is open,” the USPS advises. In fact, the website was just updated with alerts informing customers about a few new disruptions. In just the past week, new USPS service disruptions have impacted customers in two different states. The most recent alert is for certain residents in Iowa. According to the Oct. 11 update, the Postal Service has temporarily closed its post office in Grandview, Iowa. The agency said regular customers of this facility can retrieve their mail or access retail services at the post office in Wapello. Retail transactions can also be conducted at the neighboring Letts and Fruitland facilities.ae0fcc31ae342fd3a1346ebb1f342fcb A few days before the Grandview closure, a press release was issued for the state of Wisconsin. According to this Oct. 7 alert, the USPS has suspended retail operations at its post office in Mosinee, Wisconsin. Unlike the Iowa disruption, “P.O. Box customers [here] still have access to their mail, which they may retrieve at the rear entrance,” the agency noted. For retail transactions, the Postal Service is advising customers to use neighboring post offices in either Rothschild, Schofield, Marathon, or Wausau. RELATED: For more up-to-date information, sign up for our daily newsletter. A building fire prompted the suspension of post office services in Grandview, according to the USPS. The postal facility was one of four buildings destroyed by a nearby shed fire that spread quickly on the evening of Oct. 7, The Muscatine Journal reported. Shane White, postmaster of the Wapello Post Office, told the newspaper that there is already a plan in place to install temporary postal boxes so customers in the area can pick up their mail without having to travel to Wapello. But there is no word yet on whether or not the Grandview Post Office’s building will be rebuilt. “I’ve never dealt with a situation like this. I don’t know about the time frame for a permanent solution to be established,” White said. “I hope people will be patient with us. I can’t make some decisions. I have to wait on the powers that be to tell me what to do, but we are working toward a solution as quickly as we can.” At the Mosinee Post Office, retail operations were suspended because of damage to the building as well. But it wasn’t in this case. Instead, the post office is dealing with “structural damage to the lobby caused by a vehicle impact,” according to the USPS. On Oct. 7, local radio station WSAU reported that there was splintered wood and shattered glass seen at the building’s front entranceway. The Mosinee Post Office is expected to reopen for retail operations, but not until the damage can be repaired, according to a sign on the building. “We apologize for any inconvenience to our customers,” the USPS said.
title: “Usps Is Suspending Services In These Places Effective Immediately” ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-06” author: “Patricia Bollinger”
READ THIS NEXT: USPS Is Making This Major Delivery Change, Starting Oct. 2. Aside from federal holidays and weekends, the USPS can suspend its operations in certain places for various reasons, prompting temporary post office closures and mail delivery delays. In fact, the agency has suspended service in several areas already this year, including deliveries to a Santa Monica neighborhood in April due to attacks on mail carriers. “Please be advised that the Postal Service does not enter into decisions to suspend service lightly,” the USPS said in a letter to residents in the Santa Monica neighborhood, adding that mail suspension is “unfortunate” but sometimes necessary. “The safety of our employees and of the mail they deliver to you is our highest concern,” the letter added. While not made “lightly,” the USPS has clearly decided recently that the safety of its employees is too much at risk for operations to continue in certain areas. Most recently, the agency updated its Service Alerts page on Sept. 19 to warn residents about service disruptions in several parts of Puerto Rico. The agency first announced on Sept. 16 that all operations at its post office in Aguada, Puerto Rico, had been suspended due to the Tropical Storm Fiona. But now, just a few days later, the USPS has closed over 25 more post offices throughout Puerto Rico because of the hazardous weather.ae0fcc31ae342fd3a1346ebb1f342fcb RELATED: For more up-to-date information, sign up for our daily newsletter. Tropical Storm Fiona hit Puerto Rico on Sept. 18, The New York Times reported. According to the newspaper, the storm has pushed over 30 inches of rainfall onto the U.S. territory, leaving thousands stranded and over a million without power. The USPS said it will delay or suspend services when natural disasters hit or when there are hazardous conditions at play for its carriers and/or vehicles. “The Postal Service curtails delivery only after careful consideration, and only as a last resort,” the agency says. “We appreciate your understanding of our responsibility for the safety of our employees, as well as of our customers.” Puerto Rico isn’t the only area facing halted mail operations right now, however. The USPS also updated its Service Alerts page on Sept. 16 to warn residents about service disruptions in the state of Washington. According to the Postal Service, the post office in Cle Elum, Washington, is now temporarily closed due to flooding. At least three other post offices in the state of Washington also appear to still be closed because of the Bolt Creek wildfire: Index, Skykomish, and Baring. And in California, the Mosquito wildfire is keeping post offices in Greenwood, Foresthill, and Georgetown closed.
