Postal workers are navigating downed power lines, fallen trees, sinkholes, and their own tragic circumstances as they carry mail for devastated communities.
When Hurricane Helene touched down in Asheville, North Carolina, last month, Shawntane Duckworth stepped outside and into the storm. So many trees were falling onto her apartment building—more than three-dozen ended up falling on the property grounds—it felt unsafe to stay inside.
The next day, however, a Saturday, Duckworth headed into work—a post office, where she serves as a letter carrier, to deliver mail. There was not much to do when she arrived at the powerless facility. She put on her headlamp and began sorting the mail for delivery, though no carriers went out on their routes that day.
“I didn’t know and I didn’t want to get in trouble for not going,” Duckworth said, explaining why she went into work in the immediate wake of a hurricane. “No one told us not to.”
As of Oct. 7, 11 days later, Duckworth was still without electricity and running water. Her husband is awaiting surgery after he broke his arm when a tree fell on it, creating a significant challenge to find child care for her 11-year-old son with special needs whose school remains closed.