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C.O. shipment centers cite winter storms in Oregon, U.S. for recent delays

'You've got the perfect storm ... of volume, pandemic and the weather'

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Shipment centers in Central Oregon are noticing large backups in deliveries of packages and letters.

Peter Pierce, the owner of Postal Connections in east Bend, said the inconsistency of package arrival has gotten overwhelming. 

"It's been a record volume that we've never seen before," Pierce said Friday.

Pierce pointed to the state's and nation's winter storms as a key reason for delays.

"With the weather we've had, locally and nationally, it's slowed everything down,” Pierce said.

He also notes that there are a number of different factors at work.

"You've got the perfect storm, so to speak, of volume, pandemic and the weather," Pierce added,

Heather Ochoa, manager at Pack Ship & More in Bend, said she has seen similar issues.

"We are seeing a lot of delays in packages, and all carriers are working extra-long hours and trying to get all caught up,” Ochoa said.

Ochoa agreed with Pierce that there are several causes for these delays. 

"We're coming off a very busy Christmas season as well and we've had a lot of weather, so I think it’s a combination of both,” Ochoa said. 

It's not just personal items being affected.

James Young, installation manager at Budget Blinds, says his business has seen delays, too.

"Weather -- it's slowed everything up. We can't get anything,” Young said. 

Young explained they often get their materials from Texas and ship through Portland.

With both areas experiencing extreme winter weather, their shipments have fallen behind. 

"You can see my racks are empty. Usually they're full,” Young said. "Right now, I've got guys working half days. I've got a couple guys not working at all right now because I just don't have the product to put out." 

Peter Pierce said the shipping industry is just overwhelmed.

"The guaranteed services that you are used to, getting there overnight or in two days, aren't necessarily happening right now,” Pierce said. "It's not that they're not trying, they're doing their best just sometimes it's not going to make it.”

Pierce and Ochoa asked people to remain patient.

"Hang tight,” Ochoa said. “Everybody's working really hard to get everything where it needs to go.” 

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Noah Chast

Noah Chast is a multimedia journalist for NewsChannel 21. Learn more about Noah here.

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