DaytonDailyNews.com

DAYTON — Area postal carriers are giving new credence to their unofficial motto: "Neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds."

"It didn't say neither power," joked Bonni Manies, U.S. Postal Service communications specialist for the Cincinnati district. "God bless our carriers. Many don't have electricity at home, either."

Manies said 60 out of 225 stations have no power. In the Dayton area those stations include Centerville, Washington Twp., the Paul Laurence Dunbar station in West Dayton and the Wright Brothers station on Brown Street in Oakwood.

"We were dealing with darkness Monday morning and scrambling for flashlights," said James Nabers, manager of Oakwood station. "Our carriers took everything outside to sort in the parking lot. Initially, that was our first challenge. The other obstacle was down trees in Oakwood. It seems Oakwood took the brunt of the hurricane with those massive old trees being knocked over. It's something I've never seen before. We couldn't deliver on the porches that had the down trees."

Dayton postmaster general Darryl Myers said the biggest problems are down power lines and "animal control." Wherever power is out, the invisible fence isn't working.

"We had a young carrier from our Northridge station who was attacked by a pit bull and was bit in the face, hand and leg," Myers said. "Normally, the dog would be chained and inside. Here, there were no restraints. The pit bull broke through.

"Overall, our carriers displayed mettle, coming through in adversity after seeing the devastating damage Sunday," Mainies said.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2478 or rjackson@DaytonDailyNews.com.