Tuesday update:
Mail delivery through the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) is returning after a four day absence.
Tuesday’s envelopes in the Bryan Broadcasting post office box in Bryan shows postmarks from Austin.
A randomly chosen envelope showed a envelope from a Bryan business was postmarked in Austin last Saturday.
USPS has not issued a media release or posted on its residential and business service websites any update regarding the status of the north Houston processing center, following a partial roof collapse last Thursday.
Monday update:
Don’t expect mail headed to or coming from Bryan/College Station and the rest of east and southeast Texas to arrive anytime soon.
The postal service’s processing center in north Houston was closed for four days after a portion of the roof collapsed during tropical depression Imelda.
WTAW News learned mail is being sent to Corpus Christi and Austin for sorting and handling.
But if the final destination of the mail is B/CS or the rest of east and southeast Texas, it will go to the north Houston center, where it waits in large cardboard boxes.
According to the Facebook page for the joint emergency management agency serving Jasper, Newton, and Sabine counties, the postal service is leasing other buildings and bringing in sorting machines from around the country.
The post also states postal service backup locations designated to take the load from the north Houston center, which is the largest in the country, were also closed due to Imelda.
The postal service reported some employees were allowed back inside on Sunday following last Thursday’s partial roof collapse, but not all employees.
This is the same center that was closed after hurricane Harvey in 2017, stopping mail service in Bryan/College Station for four days.
Sunday update:
The U.S. postal service (USPS) announced Sunday a partial reopening of the processing and distribution center in north Houston.
The facility was closed last Thursday after a section of the roof collapsed due to tropical depression Imelda.
This is the same center that was closed two years ago following hurricane Harvey, stopping mail service in and out of Bryan/College Station for four days.
Sunday’s USPS statement said contingency plans that were not identified were implemented immediately to continue processing mail.
The postal service said some temporary delays may occur as they work towards resuming full operations as soon as they can safely do so.
Statement from U.S. Postal Service, September 22 2019:
The Postal Service is in active recovery mode, following Tropical Storm Imelda. Despite damage experienced at the North Houston mail processing facility, we are working daily to return to full operations, as soon as we can safely do so. The well-being of employees is our primary concern. As of September 22, operations resumed in a large portion of the facility, once it was determined to be safe by structural engineers. We continue to take steps toward complete restoration of normal operations.
Customers concerned about mail delays can be assured that the Postal Service is taking all steps to minimize impacts to mail service. We implemented contingency plans immediately, and the mail has continued to move. Some temporary delays may occur, but all mail will be processed and delivered as quickly as possible, as we continue to make significant progress each day.
A few postal facilities still remain inaccessible. We continually assess our facilities to ensure they are safe to occupy. For those Post Offices still unable to be occupied, we are currently operating in alternate locations until repairs can be made, as listed below. If your Post Office is not listed, that means it is open and fully operational.
All operations have resumed within the 3-digit ZIP Codes of 773 with the exception of:
· Porter Post Office, 23550 Partners Way, Porter, TX 77365
Operations for the Porter Post Office have been moved to the following alternate location.
· New Caney Post Office, 20811 US Highway 59, New Caney, TX 77357 (Hours of operation: M-F 9:00 AM-4:30 PM/Closed Sat. and Sun.)
All operations have resumed within the 3-digit ZIP Codes of 775 with the exception of:
· Devers Post Office, 102 S Gates St, Devers, TX 77538
· Raywood Post Office, 13615 E Highway 90, Raywood, TX 77582
Operations for the Devers and Raywood Post Offices have been moved to the following alternate location.
· Liberty Post Office, 1515 Sam Houston St, Liberty, TX 77575 (Hours of operation: M-F 9:00 AM – 4:30 PM, Sat. 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM)
All operations have resumed within the 3-digit ZIP Codes of 776 with the exception of:
· Hamshire Post Office, 25142 Highway 124, Hamshire, TX 77622
· Stowell Post Office, 3608 State Highway 124, Stowell, TX 77661
· Mauriceville Post Office, 11424 Highway 12, Mauriceville, TX 77626
· Nome Post Office, 2285 Highway 90, Nome, TX 77629
Operations for the Hamshire and Stowell Post Offices have been moved to the following alternate location.
· Winnie Post Office, 324 Highway 124, Winnie, TX 77665 (Hours of operation: M-F 9:00 AM – 4:30 PM/Closed Sat. and Sun.)
Operations for the Mauriceville Post Office have been moved to the following alternate location.
· Evadale Post Office, 225 FM 105, Evadale, TX 77615 (Hours of operation: M-F 8:30 AM-11:30 AM/12:30 PM-4:30 PM/Closed Sat. and Sun.)
Operations for the Nome Post Office have been moved to the following alternate location.
· China Post Office, 305 N Broadway St, China, TX 77613 (Hours of operation: M-F 8:00 AM-12:00 PM/1:00 PM-4:30 PM/Closed Sat. and Sun.)
Original story:
If you have or plan to to use the postal service priority mail express, sending and receiving those packages are affected by this week’s floods in the Houston area.
That’s after a partial roof collapse Thursday at the postal service’s processing and distribution center in north Houston.
Additionally, commercial mail service in Bryan/College Station and other cities served by the center is disrupted for an undetermined amount of time.
According to the postal service, they will resume regular operations as soon as it safe to do so.
Click HERE to be directed to the USPS website showing business service alerts.
Click HERE to be directed to the USPS website showing residential service alerts.
Statement from the U.S. Postal Service:
The Postal Service considers the safety and well-being of employees, customers and suppliers of paramount importance.
In the Houston area, we are continually monitoring weather conditions in order to make decisions about mail delivery and retail services. Our first priority is safety.
We can confirm that a portion of the roof at the North Houston Processing and Distribution facility collapsed on September 19.
There were employees in the facility at the time, but only minor injuries were reported. First responders were on site and treated three of our employees.
This specific facility sorts mail and packages and provides services for our commercial mailers.
Retail service is not offered at this facility and it is not open to the public.
Several vehicles located near the collapse site were damaged.
We are taking steps to ensure that our employees are kept away from the impacted area and that they will continue to follow the recommendations of the first responders.
Employees who work at the North Houston facility and their Union and Management officials are receiving regular updates.
We will resume regular operations in the building as soon as it is safe to do so.
Customers who want information on possible weather-related impacts to their mail delivery and USPS retail services may call 1-800-ASK-USPS (1-800-275-8777) for updated information and can visit our website for updated USPS Service Alerts at http://about.usps.com/news/service-alerts/welcome/htm.