Postal Service Delivers Before, During, and After Edouard

Houston, TX — Houston District employees performed for customers before and during Tropical Storm Edouard, and are continuing to provide service this afternoon as the area recovers from the impacts of heavy rainfalls and high winds that created difficult mail delivery conditions.

“Our employees are really showing their commitment to getting the job done today,” said Houston District Manager Kelvin Williams. “We’re delivering to customers at over three million delivery points across the area today, and that is something every employee can point to with pride.”

Outside of areas made inaccessible due to high water, diverted traffic flows due to local emergency responder activities, and a host of other storm-related issues, area postal employees are delivering to the vast majority of street deliveries and meeting service commitments, showcasing their resiliency to perform under tough conditions. Other than the Gilchrest Post Office, which closed early due to minor water intrusion, all post offices in the Houston-Beaumont-Galveston-Bryan area remained open during and after the storm.

The Houston District’s Emergency Operations Center was activated on August 4, providing postal managers with rapid responses and a centralized point of contact for reporting power outages, facility conditions, and customer service operations updates.

Delivery employees are working through strong winds, soaking rains, and difficult driving conditions this afternoon to get the mail home. Retail employees at a number of post offices worked at some point in the day with no power or emergency lighting to provide counter service to customers. Transportation employees are keeping the trucks rolling and finding alternate routes where road closures are causing delays in delivering mail to and from offices. Maintenance employees responded this morning to urgent equipment problems and delivered portable generators to keep offices operating without electrical power.

All post offices in the Houston District were open for business on August 5, and while deliveries may be delayed in some areas, the vast majority of customers are receiving their mail promptly and properly.

As the rain and wind from Edouard works its way across the area, some post offices may temporarily close their lobbies as the tropical storm passes through. If roads become impassable or conditions become unsafe for travel, mail delivery services in some areas may be delayed or curtailed, and collection of mail from mailboxes may be suspended. The situation is being continuously monitored by postal emergency operations officials, and where service impacts occur, normal services will be resumed as soon as safely possible.

Additional information regarding impacts to postal operations within specific areas will be issued as necessary.