Merritt residents displaced by flooding eligible for free mail forwarding service

Canada Post is offering free mail forwarding service for the next year to Merritt residents who have been displaced due to flooding.

"We are putting contingency plans in place to move mail and parcels into and out of B.C. through various channels and to restore or maintain postal services. While mail delivery continues wherever possible, customers may experience some delays in receiving items destined for B.C. or originating from the province," reads a press release from Canada Post.

Customers with postal codes V2R 5E0, Yarrow, and V0E 2R0, Quilchena, or those starting with V1K, Merritt, or V2T, Abbotsford, can request the free service until Monday, Dec. 20, according to Canada Post.

Residents can register for the service online or go to a post office and register with a government-issued ID.

On Monday, Nov. 15, Canada Post issued a red delivery service alert for Merritt and a yellow service alert for four western provinces. In the meantime, all items and mail that cannot be delivered are being held in safe and secure Canada Post facilities until contingency plans are in place.

Customers sending time-sensitive items to or from areas in Western Canada should consider using Xpresspost or Priority service to help ensure timely delivery of their mailing. Customers can track their item and check the latest shipping status through the Canada Post website here. 

Residents can also call Canada Post's customer service team at 1-866-607-6301 if they have any questions.

To contact a reporter for this story, email Carli Berry or call 250-864-7494 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.

We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above.