MOBILE, Ala. — Mail delivery suspended at 2 p.m. Friday, Oct. 9, across a wide stretch of south Alabama and coastal Mississippi as Hurricane Isaias moved onto the northern Gulf Coast, with the U.S. Postal Service halting both carrier delivery and retail counter service at 93 post offices and facilities in the two states.
The Postal Service’s Alabama-Mississippi District announced the temporary suspension in a news release, saying it would bring operations back as soon as conditions allow.
“The Postal Service will work to restore operations as quickly as we can safely do so,” USPS said.
The suspension covers 68 Alabama locations, covering most of Mobile and Baldwin counties as well as communities farther north such as Atmore, Jackson, Chatom and Millry, along with 25 locations on the Mississippi Gulf Coast and in its inland counties. The full list of affected post offices and ZIP codes appears below.
What the suspension means
The order affects two kinds of service at each listed location:
- Mail delivery. Letter carriers are not running their routes to homes and businesses served by the affected offices.
- Retail operations. Post office lobbies and service counters at those locations are closed, so customers cannot buy stamps, mail packages or pick up held mail there while the suspension is in effect.
The Postal Service did not give a date for resuming service. Its statement indicated that operations will return location by location as it becomes safe for employees to travel and work. In past storms, the agency has generally reopened offices as damage assessments are completed, roads are cleared and power is restored, which means some communities may see service return sooner than others.
Why the Postal Service pulls back during a hurricane
Letter carriers spend most of their day outdoors and on the road, often in vehicles that offer little protection from high wind, falling limbs and flooded streets. Isaias arrived as a major hurricane, strengthening to Category 3 on Friday, with forecasters warning of damaging winds, heavy rain, flooding and the possibility of tornadoes across the region. Hurricane warnings covered Mobile, Baldwin and Escambia counties in Alabama, and Gov. Kay Ivey had declared a state of emergency for 40 Alabama counties earlier in the week.
Suspending service before the worst conditions arrive keeps carriers and clerks off dangerous roads and lets them prepare their own homes and families. It also protects the mail itself, since packages and letters left in curbside boxes or on porches can be soaked or blown away in a hurricane.
Affected post offices in Alabama
These Alabama post offices and facilities suspended delivery and retail operations at 2 p.m. Friday, listed with their ZIP codes:
- Airport — 36695
- Atmore — 36502
- Axis — 36505
- Bay Minette — 36507
- Bayou La Batre — 36509
- Bayside — 36605
- Bel Air — 36616
- Bon Secour — 36511
- Bucks — 36512
- Calvert — 36513
- Chatom — 36518
- Chickasaw — 36671
- Chunchula — 36521
- Citronelle — 36522
- Coden — 36523
- Coffeeville — 36524
- Cottage Hill — 36609
- Creola — 36525
- Crichton — 36670
- Daphne — 36526
- Dauphin Island — 36528
- Deer Park — 36529
- Elberta — 36530
- Fairhope — 36532
- Foley — 36535
- Frankville — 36538
- Fruitdale — 36539
- Gainestown — 36540
- Grand Bay — 36541
- Gulf Shores — 36542
- Irvington — 36544
- Jackson — 36545
- Leroy — 36548
- Lillian — 36549
- Little River — 36550
- Loop — 36606
- Loxley — 36551
- Magnolia Springs — 36555
- Malcolm — 36556
- McIntosh — 36553
- Midtown — 36602
- Millry — 36558
- Mobile — 36601
- Mobile Processing and Distribution Center Annex — 36601
- Montrose — 36559
- Mount Vernon — 36560
- Orange Beach — 36561
- Perdido — 36562
- Plaza de Malaga — 36685
- Point Clear — 36564
- Prichard — 36610
- Robertsdale — 36567
- Saint Elmo — 36568
- Saint Stephens — 36569
- Saraland — 36571
- Satsuma — 36572
- Semmes — 36575
- Silverhill — 36576
- Spring Hill — 36608
- Stapleton — 36578
- Stockton — 36579
- Summerdale — 36580
- Theodore — 36582
- Tibbie — 36583
- Tillmans Corner — 36619
- Towne West — 36618
- Wagarville — 36585
- Wilmer — 36587
Two entries share the 36601 ZIP code: the main Mobile post office and the Mobile Processing and Distribution Center annex, the facility that sorts mail for the region. Several listings, such as Airport, Bayside, Bel Air, Cottage Hill, Loop, Midtown, Plaza de Malaga, Spring Hill, Tillmans Corner and Towne West, are neighborhood stations and branches within the Mobile area rather than separate towns.
Affected post offices in Mississippi
On the Mississippi side of the district, delivery and retail service were suspended at these locations:
- Bay Saint Louis — 39520
- Biloxi — 39530
- Diamondhead — 39525
- Downtown Gulfport — 39501
- East Station — 39501
- Escatawpa — 39552
- Gautier — 39553
- Gulfport — 39503
- Hurley — 39555
- Keesler AFB — 39534
- Kiln — 39556
- Long Beach — 39560
- McHenry — 39561
- Moss Point — 39562
- North Bay D’Iberville — 39532
- Ocean Springs — 39564
- Pascagoula — 39567
- Pass Christian — 39571
- Perkinston — 39573
- Saucier — 39574
- Union — 39365
- Vancleave — 39565
- Vossburg — 39366
- West Biloxi — 39531
- Wiggins — 39577
Downtown Gulfport and East Station both carry the 39501 ZIP code.
What residents can do
With service on hold, there are a few practical steps residents of the affected ZIP codes can take:
- Do not expect mail or packages until service resumes. Items addressed to suspended ZIP codes will generally be held until carriers can safely deliver them. Bills, checks and other time-sensitive mail may arrive late.
- Plan for late bills. If a payment is due during the storm, consider paying online or by phone, and contact the company if a delay in mail service causes a problem.
- Watch for official updates. The Postal Service posts service disruption notices, including reopenings and any alternate pickup locations, on the service alerts section of its newsroom website at about.usps.com.
- If you evacuated, consider forwarding. Residents who expect to be away from home for an extended period can ask the Postal Service to hold their mail or file a temporary change of address so mail follows them. Both requests can be made online through usps.com.
- Bring identification when service returns. If the Postal Service designates a location where customers can pick up held mail, expect to show a photo ID that matches the delivery address.
- Secure your mailbox. After the storm passes, check that your mailbox and post are still standing and clearly marked. Carriers may not be able to deliver to a damaged or missing box.
Part of a wider shutdown along the coast
The mail suspension was one of many closures across the region as Isaias approached. Ivey ordered tourists and visitors to leave Gulf Shores, Orange Beach and Dauphin Island, closed state offices in nine south Alabama counties beginning at noon Friday, and the bridges onto Pleasure Island closed around midday. Schools, local government offices, parks and businesses across Mobile and Baldwin counties also shut down ahead of the storm.
Isaias is the first hurricane of the 2026 Atlantic season. Once the storm has moved inland and crews have assessed damage, the Postal Service is expected to begin reopening offices and resuming routes. Residents in the affected ZIP codes should check for official USPS notices before heading to a post office.