Severe winter storms have seriously impacted on mail and parcel deliveries across the USA thisweek causing delivery disruptions at UPS, FedEx and USPS.
Delivery firms were forced to cancel or suspend services in some areas and implement emergencymeasures to keep operations going as normally as possible.
UPS spokeswoman Susan Rosenberg told CEP-Research that UPS has resumed its package operationssince yesterday except some areas including selected ZIP codes in Michigan, New Mexico and Ohio. Nopickups, deliveries or on-call pickups are being made to these ZIP codes, UPS said in its serviceupdate.
“The massive snow storm that is subjecting much of the upper U.S. to icy conditions and heavywinds is causing unavoidable service delays in these areas,” the company explained. UPS added thatit is committed to making every effort to provide service to all areas where conditions permit safeaccess. “We are closely monitoring local areas to ensure service resumes as soon as conditionspermit.”
Rosenberg explained that the situation has already improved significantly compared to Tuesdaywhen UPS had service disruptions in 14 states.
Yesterday, the company dispatched drivers to make deliveries and pickups in areas of Illinois,particularly near Chicago, and Northwest Indiana where vehicles can safely navigate the roadways,Rosenberg added. “There are still suburban areas where roads have not been cleared. The realimpacts have been in portions of Michigan and Ohio.” She said UPS will continue to dispatch moredrivers today. “While there may be some service delays ongoing pending road conditions, we’reworking to use UPS contingency operations for routing throughout the UPS network and plan toquickly resume full service.”
Commenting on UPS air cargo operations, Rosenberg said: “Using contingency operations, airexpress volume processing was shifted from Dallas/Fort Worth and Rockford airport hubs to UPSWorldport in Louisville, Kentucky over the past two days.”
All UPS Freight service centres for less-than-truckload ground freight are operating. However,freight volume still may be delayed in some areas until roadways are cleared, Rosenbergconcluded.
FedEx said in its Winter Storm Service Update that heavy snow and blizzard conditions acrossmuch of the U.S. continue to affect its operations.
“Unavoidable service delays should be expected due to local road conditions and in areas thathave issued a state of emergency. FedEx is committed to providing service to the best of ourability in areas that can be safely accessed and where conditions have improved. We will continueto monitor the situation to minimise the impact on service,” the company said in a statement.
According to the company’s latest update, all FedEx Express stations are operating but servicedelays are likely in some areas due to local road conditions. At FedEx Ground, service delays areexpected throughout the states Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts,Michigan, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, Texas, Vermont and Wisconsin. At FedExFreight, service delays are also likely to occur in some of these states.
To help avoid delays, FedEx encouraged customers to contact their recipients in order to verifyif their location is accepting shipments. Shipments that could not be delivered due to roadclosures and local restrictions will be secured in one of the company’s facilities.
USPS reported that the storm has affected all of its inbound and outbound mail flows, includingcollection and delivery in the affected areas. “Several airports are closed and hundreds of flightscancelled. This same weather disturbance has also caused severe thunderstorms with damaging guststowards the south, along the Mississippi-Alabama line, and from southeast Louisiana into West,Central and Southwest Georgia and the Florida panhandle. Damage in these areas is still beingassessed. Because the weather front moved further north, the Washington, DC area was not affected,”the company said.
The US postal operator explained that the USPS International Service Centres in Chicago and NewYork will be unable to carry out receipt or dispatch operations to or from the areas impacted. “National and local weather conditions are being closely monitored, and updates will be provided asmore detailed information is received from the affected areas. “
The American Red Cross is providing support to 19 US states offering food, comfort and a safeplace to stay to people affected by the massive winter storm. In the beginning of this week, RedCross disaster workers housed hundreds of people in the shelters who could not make it home due tothe storm. “Five Red Cross disaster warehouses are on alert, ready to ship supplies to where theyare needed to help people in the path of this huge winter storm,” American Red Cross said.
