More than half of the homes whose mailboxes were damaged or destroyed in the May 22 tornado are getting their mail delivered to them once again, a Jefferson City Post Office official said.
Delivery Supervisor Sonya Schroeder said Monday that approximately five routes in Jefferson City - 300-500 residences, including apartment complexes - were affected by the tornado, including residences on Ellis Boulevard, Jackson Street and Capitol Avenue where many homes were severely damaged.
"We simply put their mail on hold until they could get in touch with us and reactivate the service," Schroeder said.
Until the post office hears from the property owner that the mailbox is back in place, Schroeder said, they simply hold the property owner's mail at the Capital View Station on Jefferson Street.
"People living somewhere temporarily have been picking up their mail at the post office," Schroeder said. "They can also have their mail forwarded somewhere temporarily, or they could get a post office box."
Schroeder said they have also been holding mail for people moving after the tornado, in which case the post office holds mail for 10 days with the hope that change-of-address forms will be filled out and mail can be forwarded.
"We normally hold mail when people go on vacation - no less than three days and no more than 30 days," Schroeder said. "In this case, we'll hold for as long as needed if they had tornado damage. We ask that when a person comes in to get their mail that they bring their ID and they can pick it up anytime during normal business hours."
Anyone still experiencing issues with mail delivery following the May 22 tornado should call the post office at 573-635-2349.