VIDALIA &8212; There was an eerie calm about the area post offices and tax preparation service offices Monday.

Instead of the horde of last-minute taxpayers storming their offices in an attempt to get their forms filed before the midnight deadline, employees reported all quiet on the front.

&8220;It&8217;s not much different from a typical Monday,&8221; Vidalia Postmaster Danny Grayson said. &8220;In years past, we normally have at least twice the window traffic (on tax day).&8221;

Grayson said the growing popularity of electronic filing has taken a bit of the tax-day traffic but that April 15&8217;s falling on a Saturday, uncertainty may have led people to file early.

&8220;I&8217;m sure there were people who were concerned and didn&8217;t want to be late,&8221; he said.

While the deadline for filing was pushed back until Monday, tax preparers at the Vidalia H&R Block said many of their clients thought the Internal Revenue Service had moved the date up a day instead of back two.

&8220;We were real busy Thursday; most people thought it was due Friday for Saturday,&8221; office manager Kelly Estis said. &8220;It hasn&8217;t been busy at all today.&8221;

Taxpayer Robert Barnes said he was surprised by how quiet the Natchez Post Office was compared to years past.

&8220;Usually, there are a lot more people out,&8221; he said. &8220;Sometimes the line here is very, very long.&8221;

Barnes said he would have filed on Friday or Saturday had that been the deadline, but saw no point in parting with his money before he had to.

&8220;If they give me three extra days, I&8217;ll take them.&8221;

Any added rush expected from the evacuee community was muted by the automatic extension residents from affected parishes and

counties received from the IRS.