‘Longest time ever’ for no mail
Published 1:12 am Saturday, February 1, 2014
It’s the longest time for no mail delivery in Covington County that current post office employees can remember.
When ice and snow rendered roads impassable, it meant that mail couldn’t get in or out of the county. Now, it’s time to play catch up.
“For us, we’re looking at twice the mail that we have on a normal day,” said Andalusia Post Office Supervisor Diane Childers. “It’s not that bad, actually. It’s like the day after a holiday.”
Childers said the facility is operating at normal staffing levels.
“We did open the office on Wednesday, and we brought our carriers in, but they couldn’t get the mail to us,” she said. “It made it all the way to Evergreen, but not to us.”
Childers said in her 19 years as a postal employee, the two-day closure was a first.
“We had one day that we never got to deliver, but since I’ve been with them, never have I seen two days in a row,” she said.
In Florala, Postmaster Denise Williamson said her facility was experiencing similar circumstances.
“It’s not too bad, here – the mail volume,” Williamson said. “Like a day after a holiday, I would say. We’ve got a mixed lot of letters and packages, and we’re working hard to get everything out.”
Williamson said in her nine years with the USPS, mail has been delayed once.
“That was during Hurricane Ivan,” she said. “We just couldn’t get it delivered.”
Staff at the Opp Post Office said their circumstances were identical to others in the county.