Tennessee investigating plastics factory after workers trapped by Hurricane Helene floods died or went missing
Tennessee investigating plastics factory after workers trapped by Hurricane Helene floods died or went missing
Surviving employees alleged Impact Plastics told them to be at work and released them too late to escape floodwaters; the company has said it did not threaten to fire anyone.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, the state's criminal investigation agency, said Wednesday it is looking into allegations against an Erwin plastics factory where several workers died and some went missing after they were swept away by floodwaters from Hurricane Helene.
"At the request of 1st Judicial District Attorney General Steve Finney, TBI agents are investigating allegations involving Impact Plastics," Leslie Earhart, the bureau's spokesperson, said in a statement to NBC News. The bureau deferred additional questions to the District Attorney General's Office.
Finney in a statement said that he specifically asked "that they review the occurrences of Friday, September 27, 2024, to identify any potential criminal violations."
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The workers were asked to stay even after part of the parking lot was starting to flood.
It was after the power went out that they closed the factory.
Tennessee didn’t declare a state of emergency in the county until after the flooding started.
It's even worse because there is a river in the other side of the road from them. It was the river flooding into the parking lot. There is a spillway or a dam a little farther downstream.
