Please Clear Snow and Ice from Sidewalks, Stairs and Mailboxes

Snow and Ice Buildup Can Slow or Delay Mail Service

CHICAGO — As letter carriers prepare to make deliveries during today’s heavy snowstorm, the United States Postal Service requests your help in clearing snow and ice from the approach to your mail box.

“Mountains of snow and rivers of ice in front of mail boxes play havoc with mail delivery,” says Mark Reynolds, Postal Service spokesperson for Chicago. “Your help in maintaining a clear path to the mail box – including steps, porches, walkways and street approach — will help us maintain consistent delivery service.”

According to Reynolds, delivery service may be delayed or curtailed whenever streets or walkways present hazardous condition for letter carriers or when snow is plowed against mailboxes. The U. S. Postal Service curtails delivery only after careful consideration, and only as a last resort. Any curtailed mail is attempted the next delivery day.

“We appreciate the efforts of our customers as they work to provide their mail carrier with a safe approach to the mail box,” he adds.

Pathways to street collection boxes also need to be kept clear for customers to deposit their mail and for collectors to retrieve the mail for processing, Reynolds says. Residents and businesses with collection boxes near their property are asked to keep them clear of snow and ice.

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Please Note: For broadcast quality video and audio, photo stills and other media resources, visit the USPS Newsroom at www.usps.com/news .

An independent federal agency, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that visits every address in the nation — 146 million homes and businesses. It has 37,000 retail locations and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to pay for operating expenses, not tax dollars. The Postal Service has annual revenues of $75 billion and delivers nearly half the world’s mail.