Oct. 8, 2024

USPS Statement On North Carolina Operations And Hurricane Helene Recovery as of October 8, 2024

ASHEVILLE, NC — Hurricane Helene was a catastrophic natural disaster that has disrupted services and operations for many organizations – including the Postal Service’s ability to deliver mail and packages – throughout the entire Southeast region. The Postal Service is working closely with other federal agencies, including FEMA, to assist in the response. The Postal Service's primary focus is to maintain the safety and security of our employees and to ensure that Americans receive their mail and packages as swiftly as possible.

USPS Operations In North Carolina Are Resuming But Full Recovery May Take Time
Our operations team has worked around the clock to restore operations wherever safely possible however there is significant work to be done to deliver a backlog of mail and packages and reopen routes in the areas hit hardest by Hurricane Helene. The full recovery of service to the area may stretch forward for some time.

As of Oct. 8, all USPS North Carolina processing facilities and most retail and delivery units have reopened. Where retail and delivery units remain inaccessible, we have relocated operations to nearby units and are further deploying mobile retail units to make sure we can provide retail and delivery services to impacted communities as quickly as possible.

We remain committed to delivering mail wherever it's feasible and safe, constantly adjusting our operations for a swift restoration of services. For the latest updates on our services, please visit our Service Alerts page here

Impact On North Carolina USPS Operations
The Postal Service operates 838 facilities in North Carolina. Local areas using three-digit ZIP Codes beginning in 286, 287, and 288 were the most severely impacted by Hurricane Helene. USPS teams have been dispatched to affected areas where possible and are working to get into other areas which remain inaccessible so far. As of Oct. 8:

  • 97 postal facilities reopened, however, 21 still remain closed. The operations from these closed facilities are in the process of being transferred to other locations.
  • 1 facility destroyed: Micaville (PO box office) 28755
  • 20 facilities with flooding, 16 facilities without power
  • All impacted delivery offices are attempting delivery where safe to do so
  • 35 Retail Offices offering cash-only transactions.
  • Sunday delivery made in some affected offices.
  • Delayed mail that was accumulated prior to and immediately after the Hurricane has now been delivered to every accessible delivery point.
  • All mail destined for North Carolina that cannot be delivered is being sent to local post offices office where it will be delivered when safe to do so.
  • An estimated 35 routes are currently inoperable, down from 451 after the initial impact of the storm.
    • USPS is currently evaluating alternative delivery arrangements for addresses along impassible delivery routes
    • Replacement vehicles are being sent to local post offices that suffered vehicle damage, enabling them to resume delivery services as quickly as possible.
  • The following chart outlines retail and delivery points across the three most impacted ZIP codes in North Carolina:

RETAIL AND DELIVERY OPERATIONS  BY 3 DIGIT ZIP
(AS OF 10/7/2024)

3 DIGIT ZIP CODE

286

287

288

TOTAL

Total Offices

111

102

5

218

Offices Open for Retail

105

87

3

195

Offices Closed for Retail

6

15

0

21

% Offices Closed

5%

15%

0%

10%

Total Street Deliveries

298,491

285,640

75,858

659,989

Deliveries made (projection)

296,875

266,396

73,895

637,166

Deliveries Not Made (projection)

1,616

19,244

1,963

22,823

% Deliveries not made (projection)

1%

7%

3%

3%

Number of PO Boxes

28,006

40,856

1,296

70,158

# PO Boxes Unable to Deliver

1,290

0

0

1,290

% PO Boxes Impacted

5%

1%

0%

2%

Total Retail Sites

111

102

2

215

Retail Taking Cash Only

11

24

0

35

% Retail Taking Cash Only

10%

24%

0%

16%

Office with no Electricity

4

12

0

16

Office on Generator Power

0

7

0

7

Office with no Internet

11

24

0

35

Offices with Cellular Router

0

0

0

0

Forecast of Amazon per Argus

4,480

22,087

1,441

28,008

Resources For North Carolina Residents

  • 21 mobile operations units have been or will be established across the following locations where residents can send/receive mail and packages.

USPS Mobile Operations Units in
North Carolina
Open as of 10/8/2024

CITY

ZIP CODE

ALEXANDER

28701

BARNARDSVILLE

28709

BAT CAVE

28710

CEDAR MOUNTAIN

28718

CHIMNEY ROCK

28720

CRESTON

28615

EDNEYVILLE

28727

FLEETWOOD

28626

GERTON

28735

GREEN MOUNTAIN

28740

HOT SPRINGS

28743

LANSING

28643

LINVILLE

28646

MARSHALL

28753

MICAVILLE

28755

MONTREAT

28757

NEWLAND

28657

PENLAND

28765

PLUMTREE

28664

ROSMAN

28772

SWANNANOA

28778

  • For impacted residents who have relocated due to the storm, be sure to complete a change of address request at moversguide.usps.com.
  • For impacted residents currently in a temporary shelter, USPS employees will be on site this week to assist with change of address requests to ensure mail and packages are sent to a designated address. 
  • Available Social Security checks that have arrived are being delivered to all units for delivery and/or available for customer pick up.

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