Please Clear Snow and Ice from Sidewalks, Stairs and Mailboxes

Letter Carriers to Make Mail Deliveries Today

CAROL STREAM, IL — Letter carriers in the Northern Illinois District will make their appointed rounds to deliver mail in the aftermath of the overnight snowstorm. As they prepare to face the elements, 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 Tim Ratliff, Postal Service spokesperson for Northern Illinois. “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.” Customers receiving door delivery should make sure their sidewalks, steps and porches are clear. Customers receiving curbside delivery should remove snow piles left by snow plows to keep access to their mailboxes clear for letter carriers.

According to Ratliff, 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.

The collection boxes also need to be kept clear for our customers to deposit their mail and for the U. S. Postal Service to collect the mail for delivery, Ratliff says. Residents and businesses with collection boxes near their property are asked to keep them clear of snow and ice.

The Northern Illinois District of the U.S. Postal Service serves communities with the following ZIP Code prefixes: 600 – 602 (Chicago area north suburbs); 601-603 (Chicago area west suburbs) 610 ( Freeport, Dixon, Sterling, Galena area) and 611 (Rockford area).

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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/communications/newsroom/welcome.htm.

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.