In the wake of Hurricane Helene, Impact Plastics in Erwin, Tennessee, is at the center of a tragedy that has claimed the lives of at least five workers. As floodwaters from the Nolichucky River surged on September 27, employees were left clinging to a semitruck for hours before being swept away. One worker remains missing, and the community is left mourning.
Impact Plastics, Tennessee… 😔 pic.twitter.com/j4QK27ahc6
— JoCanada™ ✝️🍁🇨🇦🚑 (@NewellMartell) October 4, 2024
Gerald O’Connor, the company’s CEO, expressed deep sorrow over the loss of life, calling it “devastating.” However, the company now faces intense scrutiny over allegations that workers were not allowed to leave the factory in time. Jacob Ingram, a worker at the plant, has stated that employees were told to move their cars instead of evacuating, which contributed to the deadly situation.
Employees of Impact Plastics in Erwin, Tennessee were told to stay and work while their executives left.
Now the CEO is saying they have missing and deceased employees and is denying that they told employees that they had to work.
Shameful.pic.twitter.com/87DRXFFenA
— Art Candee 🍿🥤 (@ArtCandee) September 30, 2024
Multiple investigations are now underway. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) and the Tennessee Occupational Safety and Health Administration (TOSHA) are both looking into whether proper procedures were followed and if employees were given enough time to escape. O’Connor has publicly denied the allegations, claiming that workers were told to leave 45 minutes before the floodwaters arrived.
The factory, which produces plastic parts for various industries, has faced safety issues in the past. TOSHA has cited the company for serious violations on multiple occasions, including a significant investigation in 2010. These previous safety concerns will likely be part of the ongoing investigation as authorities work to determine what went wrong.
Six workers at Impact Plastics lost their lives in the recent Tennessee floods. When you call people "human resources" it's a quick slide down to treating them like equipment. Death toll for Hurricane Helene passes 100. #PeopleOverProfit #WorkersSafety #NCFlooding #ImpactPlastics pic.twitter.com/2SoAPNKx07
— Asbestos Claims (@ClaimsAsbestos) October 1, 2024
The victims of this tragedy include Sibrina Barnett, Monica Hernandez, Bertha Mendoza, Johnny Peterson, and Lidia Verdugo. The search for Rosa Maria Andrade Reynoso continues, with authorities still combing the area for any sign of her.