Make Sure You Dig Out Your Mailbox

Neither sleet, nor rain… well you know how it goes. Ask any mail carrier and they will likely tell you… that old saying only goes so far in a foot and half of snow.

As the latest winter storm blanketed the region with fluffy white snow Monday, anywhere from 9 to 18 inches of it in the Berkshires, the United States Postal Services is asking for your cooperation so that they can get your mail to you without hassle and without delay. It takes more than a few flakes to deter letter carriers from making their appointed rounds. But, if they cannot reach your mailbox, they cannot deliver your mail.

According to a press release, the Postal Service treats safety and service with equal priority. So, they are reminding you to include your mailbox in your snow removal routine. Letter carriers are on the front line of severe weather conditions. Doorstep deliveries, painted porches and steps quickly grow hazardous.

While salting and rubber-backed mats help, the Postal Service says that it relies on you to clear the snow. If there’s a warm spell, and the melting snow puddles, a quick freeze can make a sidewalk slick again.

Residents who receive delivery to roadside mailboxes also must keep the approach to, and exit from, the mailbox clear of snow or any other obstacles, like trash cans and other vehicles. The carrier needs to get in, and then out, without leaving the vehicle or backing up. The area near the mailbox should be cleared in a half-moon shape to give the carrier full visibility.

You should also be sure to watch for slow-moving postal vehicles, carriers on foot, and children that play near mailboxes or snowbanks. And don’t zip by neighbors who are clearing mailboxes or collecting their mail. Let’s all stay safe.

The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products, and services to fund its operations.

Let’s make it easy on our letter carriers. The mail must get through!