Hurricane Ike will Brush East Texas

Some Post Offices in 759 ZIP Code areas will close

Dallas, TX — U.S. Postal Service employees in east Texas facilities will work behind the scenes and around-the-clock to secure the mail, postal facilities and equipment for the arrival of Hurricane Ike.

The Postal Service is preparing for the arrival of Hurricane Ike by advising customers that those normal service operations for some Postal facilities in the 759 ZIP Code area where mandatory evacuations have been declared will close today at 12 noon and remain closed throughout the weekend in anticipation of unsafe conditions such as high winds, flooding, or impassable roads.

Those areas include Post Offices in the following cities - Chester, Colmesneil, Doucette, Woodville, Jasper, Kirbyville, Weirgate, Burkeville, Newton, Bon Weir and Call.

Dallas District Manager Linda Welch says, “The safety of all postal employees in east Texas is my number one concern. All mail and facilities will be secured until after the storm passes through those targeted areas.”

Other Post Offices in the 759 ZIP Code area, depending on local conditions, may temporarily close their lobbies on Saturday as the storm makes landfall. Those closed Post Office lobbies will reopen once the pending storm has passed, and the security of employees, facilities, and the mail is established.

If roads become impassable or unsafe for travel following the storm, mail delivery services may be curtailed, and mail collection schedules from mail collection boxes in areas affected by the storm could be suspended until normal conditions are restored.

Customer service operations in any area covered by a mandatory evacuation order will be suspended, including mail processing, mail delivery, scheduled collection of mail from mail collection boxes, bulk mail acceptance, Post Office box service and retail Post Office lobby services. Drop shipment appointments will also be suspended at closed facilities.

For the latest information on USPS service updates, check: http://www.usps.com/communications/news/serviceupdates.htm

Postal Service employees in the Texas Gulf Coast area are being advised to check for changes to their scheduled work reporting status by contacting the USPS National Emergency Notification. The toll-free USPS National Emergency Notification Hotline for U.S. Postal Service employees is: 1-888-363-7462.

Customers can call the Postal Service's toll-free number 800-ASK-USPS (800-275-8777) or the TTY number 877-TTY-2HLP (877-889-2457) for help with any postal questions they may have.