The Atlantic and Pacific hurricane seasons are underway, and the Postal Service is urging employees to verify or update their personal and emergency contact information on file with the organization.
Employees can keep information current by listing a physical address — not a Post Office Box — and mobile telephone number, including whom to contact in case of emergency.
The Postal Service also recommends employees complete a personal preparedness plan that includes a household inventory and the location of important documents with copies that can be shared with relatives or friends.
Most coastal areas are subject to hurricanes. The storms can cause high winds, heavy rain, flooding and other dangerous conditions.
Here are additional tips to help prepare:
• Know your community’s hurricane plans, including evacuation routes.
• Create a disaster preparedness kit that includes first-aid items.
• Prepare your home for hurricane-force winds or flooding.
• Store enough food and water to last at least three days for household members, including pets. One gallon of drinking water per person per day is recommended.
If a hurricane is expected, call the USPS National Employee Emergency Hotline at 888-363-7462 (888-EMERGNC) for work schedules or for reporting-time change information.
The National Preparedness Blue page has a guide for postal operations as well as steps that employees can take to personally prepare.
Hurricane season runs through Nov. 30.
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