The U.S. Postal Service is addressing delivery delays throughout Hilo that have led to mail arriving unusually late.
Several residents of Hilo-area communities reported delays to mail deliveries in the past month. In a letter to the Tribune-Herald written in mid-September, Hilo resident Mary Hudak said mail would occasionally not be delivered until after 8:30 p.m. in the past three months, and, on four occasions, was not delivered at all.
A similar letter from another Hilo resident, Katie Kosora, reported mail deliveries arriving after 6 p.m., more than three hours after the usual arrival times.
The late delivery hours are a problem for older residents who are reluctant to walk to their mailboxes after dark, Hudak wrote, leading to mail being left in boxes overnight, which leaves them vulnerable to mail theft.
Hudak wrote that a mail carrier told her the delay was caused by problems with an air cargo carrier.
Duke Gonzales, a spokesman for the U.S. Postal Service in Hawaii, confirmed last week that the delays and missed deliveries were caused by “transportation-related logistic challenges affecting our Hilo Post Office.”
“We are in the process of resolving those challenges and will provide the necessary support to our Hilo mail delivery operation to prevent future customer service issues,” Gonzales told the Tribune-Herald. “Our priority is to provide prompt and reliable service to every one of our customers, in Hilo and across the country.”
Email Michael Brestovansky at mbrestovansky@hawaiitribune-herald.com.