Mail carriers truck through the heavy snow to make deliveries throughout the area.
“In the winter time, all the time, it’s cold and rough,” said Bill Yeager, a mail carrier for the United States Postal Service. “But a day like this was totally unexpected.”
Walking through a foot of snow and up slippery steps, Yeager hits about 500 stops a day.
“It may be cold out, but a kind hello gets me by,” he said. “I have a lot of great people on my route.”
He said there are many falls to the job–literally.
“Last year, I’ve fallen quite a bit,” he said. “A couple times, which is a lot to me.”
But any that were serious?
“None serious… well, just injuries to my pride,”
When he’s not trying to stay on his feet, Yeager has one secret to staying warm–and he should know how–after all, he’s been doing this for 14 years.
“I have four or five layers here,” he said, pointing to his shirt. “Three layers on my legs and my gloves. I have my hood. I have my taboggan and I have a dickie. It covers my ears pretty well.
“Yes, I have a lot of laundry,” he joked. “My wife loves that.”
But by spring, mail carriers face another challenge: pets.
So which is worse, the biting cold or biting dogs?
“I’ll take the snow ove rthe dogs,” Yeager said. “Dogs are very unpredictable. A lot of customers say ‘my dog won’t bite,’ and here they come, biting on the back of your leg.”
Though there are some obstacles for postal carriers, you can do a few things to make things easier this winter, said Stan Thornton, acting USPS safety manager for northeastern Ohio.
“If it’s hazardous to the customer, it’s hazardous to us. Safety of our employees, especially in inclement weather, is paramount,” Thorton said. “But we also want to assure there are no delays in mail delivery caused by carriers being unable to approach mailboxes safely.”
The USPS encourages you to clear your sidewalks from ice and snow. You can also move your mailbox, so your carriers don’t have to walk up slippery steps–a makeshift box is acceptable.