{"id":84858,"date":"2022-11-25T12:57:08","date_gmt":"2022-11-25T17:57:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.21cpw.com\/?p=84858"},"modified":"2022-11-25T13:00:31","modified_gmt":"2022-11-25T18:00:31","slug":"postal-inspectors-play-crucial-role-after-disasters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.21cpw.com\/postal-inspectors-play-crucial-role-after-disasters\/","title":{"rendered":"Postal Inspectors play crucial role after disasters"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Postal inspectors helped recover cash, coins, stamps and money orders from the Fort Myers Beach, FL, Post Office after it was heavily damaged by Hurricane Ian in late September.<\/strong><\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

November 25, 2022<\/span>
\nAfter a disaster, letter carriers and retail associates are welcome faces<\/span><\/a> for weary customers, a hopeful sign that things are returning to normal. But behind the scenes are other employees working tirelessly to help USPS \u2014 and the communities it serves \u2014 recover.<\/p>\n

Postal inspectors from the Postal Inspection Service are among these hidden helpers. While best known as criminal investigators, they play a crucial role in getting USPS back on track after disasters such as Hurricane Ian, the recent Category 4 storm that hammered Florida and the southeastern United States.<\/p>\n

\u201cFirst and foremost, we respond right after the hurricane and do assessments of Post Offices and see if it\u2019s safe for employees to return,\u201d said Adel Valdes, a postal inspector based in the Inspection Service\u2019s Miami Division. \u201cWe also assist with employee accountability.\u201d<\/p>\n

Inspectors also take security measures at mobile retail units or Post Offices. Some of it is \u201caccounting,\u201d according to Leo Polanco, another inspector in the Miami Division.<\/p>\n

He helped recover \u201caccountable negotiable property\u201d \u2014 cash, coins, stamps, money orders and the like \u2014 at the Post Office in Fort Myers Beach, FL, where Ian made landfall.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe count it, double count it, record it, sign it, stamp it and deposit it or give it back to the district,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Polanco, who is also an Air Force officer, was stunned by what Ian left in its wake.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s like a combat zone, really. Normally this kind of destruction and, really, the despair you see is found overseas, not in the continental United States. And in this case, about a half-hour from my house,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Daniel Pinkerton, a Fort Worth, TX-based senior technical surveillance specialist with the Inspection Service, participated in his first in-person recovery effort after Ian.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m standby support for generator hookups to restore power to facilities temporarily,\u201d he said. \u201cI typically handle electronics, body wires, trackers and covert camera installation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Valdes and his team also escorted postal executives around to get into areas that only law enforcement could access.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe help on many levels after a catastrophe,\u201d Valdes said. \u201cI\u2019m always proud of my team.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Video shows how USPS responds to disaster<\/h4>\n

\nhttps:\/\/about.usps.com\/video\/Ian02.mp4<\/a><\/video><\/div>
\nSource: USPS<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n
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November 25, 2022 After a disaster, letter carriers and retail associates are welcome faces for weary customers, a hopeful sign that things are returning to normal. But behind the scenes are other employees working tirelessly to help USPS \u2014 and the communities it serves \u2014 recover. Postal inspectors from the Postal Inspection Service are among…<\/p>\n

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