Normal operations restored at Washington, DC's V Street postal facility

National Mail Service Updates

Posted Thursday, March 17, 2005

Normal operations have been restored at Washington, DC's V Street postal facility which handles mail for delivery to federal government agences with the ZIP Code prefixes 202 through 205.

USPS: National Mail Service Updates

National Mail Service Updates

Posted Wednesday, March 16, 2005 - 2pm

An extensive series of environmental samples taken at Washington, DC's V Street postal facility have tested negative for anthrax. As a result, the facility has been reopened and operations there have resumed. The V Street facility handles mail for Washington, DC area federal agencies with ZIP Code prefixes 202 through 205. The testing was conducted as a precaution following a positive test result at a Department of Defense facility that receives mail from V Street. It has been determined that the initial positive test result was not connected to the mail.

DEFINITIVE PENTAGON TEST RESULTS TODAY - No employees exhibit anthrax symptoms

DEFINITIVE PENTAGON TEST RESULTS TODAY

No employees exhibit anthrax symptoms

Routine sampling at the Pentagon Remote Distribution Facility (RDF) has produced possible positive results for anthrax. This facility processes mail from the Postal Service, as well as correspondence and packages from a variety of private couriers, including UPS, FedEx and DHL.

All USPS mail for this facility comes through the Washington, DC, V Street government mail processing unit. USPS letters and flats addressed to the Pentagon are irradiated before delivery.

In addition, a monitoring system detected a possible biological threat at a Falls Church, VA, military distribution center. All of the items in this distribution center would have originated in the Pentagon RDF.

None of the samples collected up to this point have been associated with any particular item in the RDF or the Falls Church military facility. Additional testing is under way at the U.S. Army Research Institute for Infectious diseases, Fort Detrick, MD. Definitive results are expected later today.

Environmental sampling also is underway at the USPS V Street facility. The results of these samples should be available Wednesday and will help determine if a mailpiece containing anthrax passed through this facility.

Out of an abundance of caution, and at the recommendation of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, potentially affected workers in all three facilities have been offered short-term antibiotic medication.

However, no employees who may have been potentially exposed at any of the facilities have exhibited symptoms consistent with anthrax. The Postal Service, in coordination with public health officials in the District, Maryland and Virginia, is monitoring the health of V Street employees.

USPS: TRENTON FACILITY RE-OPENS

TRENTON FACILITY RE-OPENS. More than 1,000 people turned out for the reopening of the Trenton, NJ, Processing & Distribution Center. The facility — a major center for the New York Metro Area — closed more than three years ago as a result of the anthrax attacks. Safety and emergency systems in the facility have been modernized or replaced. The building includes a new state-of-the-art Biohazard Detection System, providing an added level of protection for employees and the public. Retail services are available at the facility’s retail lobby. Other operations will be phased-in over the next several weeks.

UPS Truck Overturns in Oklahoma

Authorities said a strong gust hit a United Parcel Service truck as it was entering the parkway. The wind toppled the truck on its side, authorities said.

It took crews about 1 1/2 hours to turn the truck upright and to clear the road. No injuries were reported in the accident.

Authorities said that no packages were damaged in this incident.

USPS Employee Statitistics Update

As of February, USPS career workforce stands at 690,301, down 14,280 from the prior year. The biggest reductions were in clerks- 10,042; mailhandlers- 1,267; supervisors- 1,117; and Area/HQ- 886. City carriers dropped by 64, while rural carriers were the only group to increase, up by 999.

USPS: SAFETY REPORTS IMPROVE.

SAFETY REPORTS IMPROVE. The number of Postal Service OSHA Injuries and Illnesses continues to decline — with a national total of 2,951 fewer incidents in first quarter FY 2005 than the same period last year. Postmaster General Jack Potter said the Postal Service continually strives to create a safe workplace. “It’s not about the Postal Service — it’s about the employee,” says Potter. Since fiscal 2001, USPS has reduced OSHA illnesses and injuries by 36%.

USPS: PUERTO RICO BRANCH OPENED - Quicker Delivery Expected

PUERTO RICO BRANCH OPENED. USPS and U.S. Customs and Border Protection recently launched an International Mail Branch next to Puerto Rico’s Luis Muños Marin International Airport. The joint venture will speed mail processing for Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, U.S. Virgin Islands, British Virgin Islands and other Caribbean countries. Improved mail service is expected to boost local economies by fostering international commerce.

USPS: THE MAIL MATTERS.TO SOILDERS

THE MAIL MATTERS. A Minnesota National Guard soldier serving at Forward Operating Base Speicher in Iraq wrote to Postmaster General Jack Potter in gratitude for the postage exemption given soldiers sending letters home to America. “Even with the Internet, nothing replaces the written word to communicate with loved ones at home,” Patrick Rottach wrote. “I know I speak for many! Thanks again for the great service you provide to members of the military.”

FedEx van delivering anthrax to Winnipeg lab involved in accident

WINNIPEG (CP) - There were some anxious moments in downtown Winnipeg on Wednesday after a FedEx van carrying samples of anthrax and other infectious agents was in an accident.

A hazardous materials team blocked off the area for about two hours as a precaution before determining the packages had not been damaged. "We're treating it basically as an accident," said emergency services spokesman Gordon Martin.

The van was going to the national virology lab, which conducts research and prepares for potential disease outbreaks, when it was broadsided by another vehicle.