Below: Hurricane Florence prepares to strike the North Carolina coast News Right, top: A letter carrier attempts to deliver through debris Right, below: A rescue crew wades through flooded waters.

Hurricane Florence and other wild weather As of early October, at least 51 deaths had been attributed to the storm, and damage estimates exceeded $38 billion. Blank communicated with members of her branch through text messages and postings to the branch’s Facebook group to alert them to clos- ings. Region 9 National Business Agent Kenny Gibbs made sure that commu- nications between management and carriers remained constant, checking in daily with branch presidents. “The Postal Service tried to get all of the letter carriers to call the toll- free number so they could account for everyone,” Gibbs explained. “The Postal Service would report how many people they had accounted for. It was an ongoing process to make sure every n mid-September, Hurricane U.S. Route 70 remaining impassable single person was accounted for.” Florence, the first major hurricane for days after the storm had moved on. Gibbs said that at least 1,500 to Iof the 2018 season, made Several localities were effectively cut 1,800 city letter carriers had experi- in North Carolina and caused severe off by floodwaters. Portions of the state enced direct property damage from flooding throughout the state. While it received record-breaking rainfall, with flooding or wind from the storm. previously had been classified as a Cat- more than 30 inches measured in some Even while dealing with their per- egory 4 hurricane, by the time it made locations. sonal hardships, carriers had more landfall on Sept. 13, it had slowed to a “We had carriers who were evacu- challenges once the Postal Service Category 1. The slower storm dumped ated by helicopter, by the Cajun Navy, resumed delivering the mail. heavy rain as it moved inland over the and two by an Army vehicle,” Amber In Wilmington, the mail was held next four days. Blank, president of Wilmington while carriers were on administrative This heavy rain, combined with a Branch 464, said. (The Cajun Navy is leave. “We were closed for six days,” large storm surge, caused widespread a group of civilians who use their per- Blank said. “That’s the longest I’ve ever flooding along a nearly 100-mile sonal boats to aid in water rescues.) seen the post office closed in this city.” stretch of the North Carolina coast, Blank said that several letter carriers “We had several carriers who from Wilmington in the southern por- had lost their homes to the flooding, wanted to come to work, but couldn’t tion of the state to New Bern, midway while many more were forced from because the roads were flooded,” up the seaboard. When the storm their apartments. She took in a family she added. “They were safe, but they moved inland, the rain caused major of five. “The roof of their apartment couldn’t get out.” rivers to spill over their banks. caved in and they didn’t have any- On the first day back, the workforce “Storm surge was the problem here where to go,” she explained. “I said, was limited and many letter carriers in New Bern,” Craig Schadewald, ‘Come here, to my house.’ ” were relocated for several reasons, president of Branch 780, said. “It was In New Bern, one member had to including flooding at the main Wilm- up like 13 feet.” be rescued by boat and a handful of ington post office, where asbestos tiles Many major roads and highways in members were displaced from their in the floor created a health hazard. the area experienced some flooding, homes. “They’ve lost a lot of their pos- Management allowed some carriers with large stretches of I-40, I-95, and sessions,” Schadewald said. who couldn’t make it to their offices

14 The Postal Record November 2018 because of impassable roads to work at of fuel and remained another office temporarily. Employee to protect the carriers Assistance Program (EAP) person- and the mail, as loot- nel were brought in to assist anyone ing and gunfire were overcome by the emotional toll. reported in the area. Also, carriers from the Baltimore and The public has Washington, DC, areas came down to been glad to see the Wilmington to help deliver the mail. carriers return. Blank “It was nice that they could come recalls, “The very first away from their families and their day I was out, I had routes to come and help us,” Blank numerous customers said. “I’m very appreciative of that.” say, ‘Hey, the mail Carriers have had a difficult time is running. Things navigating the roads. “A couple are getting back to of areas on my route look like war normal. It’s good to zones,” Schadewald said. “Every- see you guys.’ ” among the 20 most destructive in terms one’s refrigerators, stoves, ductwork, Schadewald had similar experiences of structures destroyed. (For more on furniture, beds, everything is out on in New Bern. “I was delivering on Sun- last year’s fires, see the February issue the curb. Not to mention the yard day and a couple of customers were out of The Postal Record.) debris, downed trees and power lines. there. One of them came up to me and Jerry Anderson is president of And the utility or tree service trucks said, ‘I know my days are getting mixed Branch 183 in Santa Rosa, a city rav- are blocking where you’re trying to up, is today Saturday or Sunday?’ I told aged by last year’s Tubbs Fire. This deliver mail. We’re having to do a lot them, ‘It’s Sunday and we’re out here year, the Mendocino Complex affected of dismounting.” delivering.’ She said, ‘God bless you.’ ” one of his offices, Lakeport, about 60 And then there’s the smell. “The “Day by day, it’s getting a little better miles north. When he first saw the rivers and flooded areas have backed each day,” he said. “It’s going to take a wisps of smoke, he remembers think- up the sewers,” he said. “And they’re long time for this area to fully recover.” ing, “Oh, not again.” just now [two weeks after the storm] However, “The carriers did not picking up the household garbage. The California wildfires experience the devastation that Santa smell of that and the brackish water The 2018 California wildfire season Rosa encountered; their biggest fear around us doesn’t help.” has been historic. According to the was which way the wind was blow- Since coming back, the carriers have state’s Department of Forestry and Fire ing,” he said. worked straight through, including Protection (Cal Fire), the Mendocino “Fortunately, the winds shifted the Sundays. “Everyone is doing mandated Complex fire that began in July was fire to the forest and away from the cit- seven days a week,” Blank said. “But the largest in state history, covering ies surrounding Clear Lake,” Anderson we’re all caught up.” roughly 460,000 acres. The Carr fire, said. Topography also helped, as the During the storm, postal vehicles which also started in July, was the lake probably reined in the fire’s fury. were stored on the loading docks in state’s seventh deadliest. “[It] may have saved the entire commu- some places to protect them. But a This season follows on the heels of a nity,” he said. larger vehicle challenge was fuel, devastating 2017: last October’s Tubbs The carriers “wore masks and dealt which was in short supply in the area Fire, the third deadliest in the state’s with the smoke and kept a close even before the storm. In Wilmington, history; and the Nuns, Thomas, Atlas on which way the fires were burning. postal inspectors escorted four tankers and Redwood Valley blazes all were There are three ways into Lakeport and

November 2018 The Postal Record 15 News

two of them were inaccessible,” he in Septem- added. “There were no structures lost ber. Before it where the carriers could deliver and no pummeled the letter carriers lost homes,” he added. Philippines and Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case in China, Typhoon Redding, which was affected by the Carr Mangkhut Fire. “One letter carrier lost his home,” unleashed its said Brian Bump, president of the Sac- wrath on Guam ramento Branch 133. It was “quite fortu- and the Mari- nate, considering the size of those fires ana Islands on up there,” that more weren’t affected. Sept. 10 and 11. Above: Typhoon Mangkhut knocked down trees and flooded Guam. “Almost Below: The Mendocino Complex fire was the largest in California history. There were daily teleconferences all the island on how to handle the disruptions and residences were without electricity,” a “Some carriers were activated by the some carriers needed to wear masks. Guam Army National Guard to help situation that lasted for weeks in some “It was pretty smoky up there for quite restore the island. As the rest of the cases, Timothy Chargualaf, president carriers worked, we would see some of some time,” Bump noted. of Guam’s Agana Branch 4093, said. the USPS employees directing traffic The U.S. Forest Service declared the The carriers were called in to work or removing debris along the roads,” Mendocino Complex contained on on the afternoon of Sept. 11. “Many of Chargualaf recalled. Sept. 19; Cal Fire declared Carr con- us left our families, who were cleaning After all of that, “the typhoon season tained on Aug. 30. up the debris around the house, so we is far from over for us,” he said on Oct. 1. can deliver as much mail as we could,” , too, experienced heavy Storms in the Pacific he added. “I saw some families whose weather in September, though not to The Pacific region saw its share of homes were destroyed. Some roads were the extent of Guam. wet-weather chaos, too, especially inaccessible due to downed power lines. made landfall there as a tropical storm. “We experienced mainly flash flood- ing and some wind damage across the islands of , and ,” said Christopher Brenchley, meteorol- ogist-in-charge at the Hawaii office of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Hurricane Michael Shortly before going to press, Hur- ricane Michael struck the Florida Panhandle with Category 4-level winds of 155 miles per hour. The storm caused tremendous damage, destroying houses and knocking out landlines and cell towers, making communication diffi- cult. Region 9’s national business agent office has been attempting to reach the carriers in Panama City Branch 3367 and Apalachicola Branch 3663 to make sure everyone is all right. PR

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