FREELAND -- The snow has caused all kinds of problems this winter: roof collapses, car crashes, potholes, and, as we found out in one part of Luzerne County, issues with mail delivery.
For most people there's nothing special about grabbing mail from the mailbox, but for Lisa Edwards it feels like a luxury.
This is the first time mail was delivered to her home on Route 940 near Freeland in more than a week.
“We've had our mailbox shoveled out. We've had it plowed out and we still were not getting mail.”
She's not the only one. Freeland postmaster Billy Martin says there are 50 to 60 homes that have not received their mail lately. Martin says the mailboxes just aren't dug out enough.
“Some of them have not even been touched. You can see there's not even a shovel that's been put to these snow banks yet,” Martin said.
The postmaster says while you're out shoveling a path for yourself, you should also shovel a path in front of your mailbox for the mail delivery truck.
“They have to clear the area in front of the mailbox far enough that the driver can pull in, deliver, and pull back out safely without having to back up,” Martin said.
Martin gave Edwards a card to show her the proper way to shovel the mailbox. The postmaster said he's just as frustrated about the mail situation in Freeland as people like Lisa Edwards are.
“When they come to pick it up, they have to come to our retail window. Our retail window then gets tied up, handling these issues and can't take care of the other customers.”
“I get there and the postmaster hands me this card telling me how I need to have my mailbox plowed out. Well, that would have been nice at the beginning of the season,” Edwards said.
The postmaster is asking everyone in Freeland to dig out as best as they can.