A New Role for the U.S. Postal Service? 

The following is a postal perspective by postal contracting specialist David P. Hendel, Esq. of the law firm of Wickwire Gavin, PC. The views expressed are solely the author's and are presented here as a stimulus for discussion and debate. Expressions of alternative views are welcome. 

Hurricane Katrina made clear that the federal government needs to rethink how it responds to emergencies and natural disasters. So let’s forget about FEMA for the moment and go back to drawing board. Pretend we need to create a federal agency from scratch that could urgently provide aid to any town or region in the country. Here are some of the assets we would want our new agency to have: 

Creating such an agency would cost billions of dollars. But wait, we’ve already made this agency and it doesn’t cost the taxpayers a thing:  it’s called the U.S. Postal Service.

Like it or not, the Postal Service already is a disaster relief agency. Wherever a natural disaster strikes in this country, the Postal Service, by reason of its ubiquity, is also going to be impacted. To the great credit of the agency and its employees, the Postal Service is usually one of the first public service agencies to get back on its feet. Stories abound of letter carriers bringing water and needed supplies to disaster victims, and even saving victims. And this is accomplished without a mandate to provide lifesaving or life supporting services. The Postal Service’s reward for its helping hand is the additional costs it incurs, and its own cost for recovering from the disaster.

Just think what we could do if the federal government worked with the Postal Service ahead of time to prepare it for a lifesaving and supporting role. All the major assets are already in place.  We just need a little bit of planning and preparedness.  In cases where we know ahead of time that a disaster is looming (i.e., a hurricane), much-needed supplies – drinking water, food, generators, first aid – could be sent to local postal facilities or larger mail processing centers.  Once the immediate event was over, USPS delivery vehicles and material handling equipment could be used to speed supplies to where they were needed.

The Postal Service would also be invaluable in supporting recovery efforts for disasters that strike without advance warning.  No matter where an event occurs, we know there is a postal facility nearby. These facilities could store equipment that would be needed for immediate response and support, such as communication equipment, generators, bio-hazard protection, and other supplies that rescuers might need immediately. And many postal facilities already have sophisticated independent communication networks that could provide responders with prompt information about local conditions.

The Postal Service also knows where everyone lives, and how to get there. While we need to be careful about the release of this type of information in the ordinary course of events, when there is an emergency we need to use it. Your privacy rights aren’t worth very much if you’re stranded where you live but die for lack of aid.  

The Postal Service is also the only group of federal workers that can be found in every town across the country. With some advance planning, this could ensure a uniform approach to disaster relief preparedness. The Postal Service also typically has strong bonds with local government officials and good local knowledge. Postmasters and other postal employees should thus have the ability to work closely with local officials without ruffling too many feathers.

So FEMA and the Postal Service should be talking. But the Postal Service must be compensated for any efforts it takes to help the federal government prepare for the next disaster.  Indeed, the future of USPS itself could be impacted by its potential role as an emergency support station. Post offices, processing facilities, and transportation networks could all be designed to serve disaster relief functions as well as mail processing and delivery. In most cases, there will likely be few large differences between planning to provide future mail service and planning to provide future disaster relief. But in some cases, there will be.  

Mailers, postal employees, and the public should welcome this new role for the Postal Service. With concerns over whether future mail volumes will shrink, any source of new revenue must be considered. Having the federal government absorb even a  small portion of the cost of maintaining this nationwide disaster recovery asset will only help USPS revenues. And taking on this new public service role will greatly aid the Postal Service’s public image.

If you’re on the fence about this idea, let me ask you this. How would you feel if FEMA tried to work out a similar arrangement with United Parcel Service or FedEx instead of USPS?  Like many other products and services that USPS first introduced but later lost its market-leading position, the Postal Service is in the right place at the right time.  But hesitate too long, or otherwise dither, and USPS will have lost another opportunity to help itself, its customers, and the country.