A small but frustrating challenge: Tornado survivors deal with mail delivery

elkhorn, Neb. (KMTV) — There are things most of us take for granted, like mail delivery. But even two months after the storm, it's another challenge for tornado survivors.

• Residents in Ramblewood share what they're currently doing to get their mail.
• USPS is encouraging survivors to do a temporary address change if they plan on staying somewhere longer than a month.
• USPS says if you think you have missing mail to contact the post office.

BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:

Two months of tornado survivors working to rebuild and finding a temporary or new place to stay. On top of it all, bills are still needing to be paid but if a mailbox has been destroyed how are these neighbors getting it?

"You know it's just another thing to add to the list."

Driving between patients for work, Ramblewood resident Heather Herchenbach - who lost her home - tells 3 News Now reporter Jill Lamkins how she's been getting her mail by going to the post office once a week.

"We show our ID to get our mail and they're like, oh you're Ramblewood, okay let me go get your mail,” said Herchenbach.

Thankful for their help, Herchenbach and other neighbors are confused about one thing.

"Cause what they told me was 'we're going to try to work with the Ramblewood people, so you don't have to pay for your PO boxes you know we'll just cover that,” said Herchenbach.

"And then, a few three and a half weeks, a month goes by, and they said - I went in actually last week and they said nope they're not doing it,” said Ramblewood resident, Heidi Bodady.

And USPS did confirm that with Lamkins, no free p-o boxes, but neighbors can rent one.

The post office is encouraging survivors to do a temporary address change if they plan on staying somewhere longer than a month

But it's become a bit of a headache for Bodady.

"So, I don't know if some of it is getting missed but I did get a call in regard to one bill that I hadn't paid for and I was like oh sorry I have not received that one,” said Bodady.

USPS says it's important to notify your insurance, employer or other important senders.

"Not all the mail can be forwarded, some - if you've got checks coming from a bank, things such as that, they're going to be redirected back to the center and that's to avoid any type of fraud so that is to protect our customers to make sure we do that,” said USPS Strategic Communications, Mark Inglett.

To check on mail, survivors can also sign up for informed delivery to see what mail will be delivered when.

USPS says if you think you have missing mail contact your post office. They say they will get a resolution for you. And if not - contact 3 News Now reporter Jill Lamkins at jillian.lamkins@3newsnow.com.