Snow slows mail delivery for days around Cape

No matter what the old adage says, sometimes the mail just cannot go through.

"The boxes are blocked by snow drifts. It's impossible in some areas to get to the mailboxes. It's been quite difficult," said Dan Strauss, customer service manager at the Cape Girardeau post office.

A week after 12 to 15 inches of snow fell on the Cape Girardeau area, some residents still were not getting their mail. By late Wednesday, however, warmer temperatures had melted the majority of the problem areas, which mostly consisted of vehicle routes spread throughout the city and county.

"Right now, the water's running like crazy. We think we've got through everywhere though," said Strauss.

So far, Cape Girardeau post office vehicles have broken 40 sets of snow chains trying to get through the icy roads, with mail carriers skipping any boxes blocked by snow piles.

"We have no choice but to go by them," Strauss said. "The average carrier makes 550 deliveries a day. If they stopped at every box, got out and secured their vehicle, they'd only get to a few."

There also has been concern for the safety of postal carriers. Strauss said precautions are taken, such as wearing snow boots with cleats.

"We instruct our employees to use their best judgment. If their safety is in jeopardy, we curtail that delivery," he said.