Several employees at a plastics factory in East Tennessee were killed or missing in Hurricane Helen, but the current death toll from the hurricane is expected to rise as subsidence from floodwaters allows rescuers to search the wreckage. The number now stands at more than 130, with warnings that it is likely to rise significantly.
Impact Plastics confirmed there were deaths at the Irwin plant, but declined to say how many. In addition to contractors, the company announced that some of its employees are missing or have died.
Officials said at least 130 people were killed in five southeastern U.S. states after Helen washed ashore in Florida’s Big Bend region late Thursday.
Jacob Ingram, a mold changer for the company, told the Knoxville News Sentinel that when the flooding began, management told employees to move cars away from the rising water; He said he did not let it happen. “They should have evacuated when they saw the flash flood warning and when they saw the parking lot,” he told the paper. “When we moved the car, we should have evacuated at that time… We asked if we should evacuate, and they said we shouldn’t evacuate yet, it’s not yet enough.
“And unless you had a four-wheel drive vehicle, by the time things got bad enough it was too late.”
Ingram told the Knoxville News Sentinel that he and 10 other employees then took shelter in an open-bed truck and attempted to leave. Debris hit the truck, causing two people to fall into the water and the truck eventually overturning.
Fernando Ruiz told NBC News that he spoke with his mother, who was working in the rain. He said he urged her to leave, but she responded that management said nothing as the flooding worsened.
The company denied that management had instructed employees not to resign.
“When water began to cover the parking lot and the adjacent side road and the factory lost power, the employees were dismissed by management to return to their homes in time to escape from the industrial park,” the company said in a statement. Ta. “Employees have never been told that they will be fired if they leave the facility.The group of managers who communicated this message to non-English speaking employees included bilingual employees. Ta.”
The company also said that “most employees left immediately, but some remained on or near the premises for unknown reasons.”
Gerald O’Connor, the company’s founder, said in a statement: “We are shocked by the tragic loss of a great employee. Our thoughts and prayers are with those who are missing or deceased and their families.”
One of the employees who died was 56-year-old Berta Mendoza, according to the News Sentinel. According to a GoFundMe set up by her family, she was separated from her sister as she struggled to survive.
Several of the workers’ families posted on social media asking for their loved ones and asking authorities for help, NBC News reported.
The Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition (TIRRC) said in a statement that it witnessed affected people struggling to obtain assistance from authorities.
“TIRRC staff dispatched to the region learned that local residents are struggling to access interpretation services from local and state government agencies, and that government agencies are demanding identification and documentation from families in immigrant communities. “We have seen it hinder the identification of missing loved ones,” the newspaper said. the group said in a statement.
The White House announced Tuesday that Joe Biden will fly over North and South Carolina on Wednesday to assess the Helen-related destruction. The president will also meet with first responders and state and local officials, the White House said.
