The U.S. Postal Service is taking steps to bring some form of mail service to victims of Hurricane Katrina. While most of the state is now receiving regular mail service, according to the USPS, many displaced residents may be dependent on receiving Social Security checks or medication through the mail.
“We know how important mail is to people,” Tony Ruda, USPS district manager for Louisiana, said in a release. “That why the Postal Service, nationally and locally, moved quickly to set up means for people to get their Social Security checks.” Check distribution sites have been operating in Louisiana since last Friday.
For those mail recipients who have been evacuated out of state, Ruda recommends filling out a change of address form using their temporary homes, which can be done at a local post office, online at www.usps.com, or by calling 1-800-ASK-USPS.
A general delivery zip code of 77230 has been set up for the more than 11,000 evacuees now sheltered at the Houston Astrodome. Those displaced by Katrina to that facility will get mail that is marked with their name, that zip code and a “general delivery” designation. Postal officials in Houston said mail is being held in trailers and vans in Houston and will be re-directed to the Astrodome or other local shelters as they receive new information on addressees.
Officials told the Associated Press they would prefer that recipients show some form of identification to receive their re-directed mail and were working to create some form of ID for evacuees who were not able to bring ID documents with them.
Finally, postal workers and outlets were also affected by Katrina, and the USPS wants to re-connect with its employees, both to make sure they’re safe and to set up channels for future communications. The service is asking workers whose homes or postal stations were in the path of the hurricane to call a toll-free number to get connected to a USPS call center agent who will take down their information and arrange for delivery of their paychecks, if they are not enrolled for direct deposit.
“The United States Postal Service is working to reconnect people with their mail, and our employees with us,” Ruda said. “We want to be one less thing they have to worry about.”
