To the Editor:

The Postal Service would like to respond to a customer’s letter to the editor [“Mail Delivery Failures,” The Gazette, Feb. 18], which we believe deserves acknowledgement.

Winter Storm Jonas’ record snowfall did impact mail deliveries. Although we worked hard to correct service interruptions quickly, some isolated areas experienced more severe issues. We apologize for this lack of service and are committed to better response times in the future.

The U.S. Postal Service considers the safety of our customers and employees a top priority. Immediately following the storm, road and weather conditions after daylight were not safe for postal operations.

Lack of clearance, visibility and the probability of icing presented high risk factors for our carriers and pedestrians in the roadways. Additionally, potential impacts to our vehicles would limit our ability to normalize operations and resume full service quickly. In an abundance of extreme caution, we instructed postal carriers to cease deliveries at dusk to keep them out of harm’s way for the first few days following the storm. Postal employees will always make every reasonable, safe effort to deliver mail, but cannot when hazardous conditions exist.

The Postal Service’s commitment to deliver mail is unwavering. Before, during and after any storm, the Postal Service will always do everything in its power to meet its promise to provide affordable, reliable service. We acknowledge and apologize that all service did not resume as it should have and are addressing to prevent reoccurrence.

Kristin Seaver

Capital Metro Area Vice President of Operations

U.S. Postal Service