The motto long associated with the United States Postal Service, “Neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds,” was tested in the last week.

A snowstorm dumping 11 to 20 inches prevented the mail and other services like garbage and transportation from being offered as usual in Butler County.

“We shoveled about 14 feet of snow so they could get the mail,” said Butler resident Joyce Smith.

But Smith said she and her neighbors along West Penn Street have seen mixed results with their mail delivery.

She waited to receive mail early this week. On Wednesday, she took matters into her own hands. She said she spotted a mail truck and flagged the carrier down to request her mail be delivered. The Butler Eagle photographed a mail truck on the street the same day.

Smith said she didn’t believe she would have received mail Wednesday had she not stopped the mail truck. At least one neighbor didn’t receive mail that day.

The next day, she reported watching for a truck to come by with her mail and newspaper, but she never saw one and didn’t find anything in the mailbox later either.

“I’m losing my patience with them,” she said.

On the other end of the street on East Pearl, Terri Houston said she received her first piece of mail Wednesday, but knew it was difficult for them.

“I saw on my doorbell camera that it was a challenge. There was nowhere to park and even watching him try to cross the roads, it was obviously hard,” she said.

In Worth Township, Debby Schneider of Cornelius Road reported a similar situation. Although the bulk of the storm occurred on Sunday, she reported she and her neighborhood did not receive mail until Friday, Jan. 30.

“We have tried to contact the post office, but could only leave an email message,” Schneider said on Thursday. “The 800 phone number for the post office is no help. We all have been plowed and our mailboxes shoveled since Tuesday morning.”

Some Jefferson and Clearfield township residents also reported not receiving mail through Thursday.

The U.S. Postal Service said employees must make a reasonable effort to deliver mail. However, the safety of carriers is prioritized and they will not deliver to mailboxes and locations which are too hazardous or unsafe to access.

“Mounds of snow and patches of ice in front of mailboxes create havoc for carriers trying to safely deliver the mail,” Postal Service spokesman Paul Smith said. “Please do your best to ensure you provide a clear path to the mailboxes — including steps, porches and walkways.

“Customers receiving curbside delivery should also clear access to their mailboxes for carriers and their vehicles.”

Carriers are not allowed to attempt door delivery when there is a heavy buildup of snow and ice on sidewalks, steps or porches. They are also not allowed to dismount for curbside boxes blocked by snow and ice buildup, the Postal Service said.

Residents who have not been able to clear a path to their mailbox can request their mail be held at usps.com.

Both Waste Management and Vogel Disposal Services said they were forced to suspend normal trash pickup on Monday due to road conditions. The companies said the snow delayed their normal pickup schedule by one day.

“All customers are being serviced on up to a one-day delay through the remainder of the week,” said Erika Young, of Waste Management. “We anticipate recovering all reachable customers by Saturday, Jan. 31.”

“In their communications to us, (Waste Management) said Monday pickup was pushed to Tuesday, Tuesday to Wednesday, Wednesday to Thursday, et cetera,” said Butler Township manager Tom Knights.

Vogel Disposal Services, operated under a similar delay. In a message to customers, Vogel also said “further delays may occur” depending on road conditions.

Vogel vice president Ed Vogel anticipates the company’s trucks will return to a normal pickup schedule next week.

“There may be some roads they can’t go down that aren’t plowed, but for the most part, everybody's been out working,” Vogel said. “This is nothing we haven’t been through before.”

Vogel provides trash pickup for the City of Butler, Cranberry Township and Seven Fields, among other parts of Butler County.

For those who can’t be reached, the companies assure they’ll be reached when its safe for the garbage truck drivers to proceed down their roads.

“There are still some parts of the county that we are not able to safely access,” Young said. “Those customers will be recovered as soon as it is safe to do so.”

Knights says he isn’t aware of any such roads in Butler Township.

“Nothing that I'm aware of is not accessible,” Knights said. “Roadwise, we're fully available for all residential trash pickup.”

Butler Transit Authority, which operates five local bus routes throughout the city and Butler Township, canceled service on Monday and Tuesday before reopening routes 1 and 5 on Wednesday.

On Thursday, the authority modified its service “due to ongoing challenges safely navigating city streets following recent snowfall,” the announcement said.

Local routes 1, 3 and 5 are operating with temporary changes to some of their stops, and route 3 will also not service seven of its stops through Monday, Feb. 2, according to the most recent announcement Friday.

Route 2 will remain entirely suspended during this period due to narrow streets.

“As previously communicated, many city streets have been reduced to a single lane and are too narrow for buses to operate safely,” the authority said in its notice to riders. “Additionally, accumulated snow at intersections is limiting buses’ ability to make safe turns.”

Smith said she often uses the buses, but she hadn’t attempted to do so this past week because of the walk it would require. Instead, she looked to Alliance for Nonprofit Resources’ transportation services to get groceries on Friday.

Meanwhile, Houston appreciated the changes in service.

“I’m glad the buses are not coming through because I don’t think they could manage this,” she said.

Houston said she feels snow accumulation like this was more commonplace years ago. While the city has seen a reprieve in snowfall, she said officials should have a clearer plan for how to respond to events like this.

“I understand that you’ve got to keep your businesses going, but then you need to have a plan on what to do next,” she said.