11 Workers Swept Away in Tennessee Plastics Factory Flood \ Newslooks \ Washington DC \ Mary Sidiqi \ Evening Edition \ Tennessee authorities are investigating Impact Plastics after 11 workers were swept away by flooding from Hurricane Helene, leaving two dead and four missing. Workers claim they weren’t allowed to leave in time to avoid the storm’s danger. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has begun its probe into potential criminal violations.
Tennessee Plastics Factory Flood Investigation: Quick Looks
- Hurricane Triggers Factory Flooding: Impact Plastics factory workers in Erwin, Tennessee, were caught in severe flooding from Hurricane Helene, leading to 11 being swept away.
- Two Confirmed Dead, Four Missing: Of the 11 workers swept away, five were rescued, with two confirmed dead and four still missing. Workers described inadequate evacuation procedures.
- Authorities Begin Investigation: Tennessee state authorities, directed by the local prosecutor, are investigating Impact Plastics for potential criminal violations related to the incident.
Deep Look
Tennessee state authorities announced Wednesday that they are investigating Impact Plastics, the company that owns a factory where 11 workers were swept away by flooding during Hurricane Helene. The incident has prompted serious concerns about the company’s emergency protocols and the safety of its employees.
The tragedy unfolded at the Impact Plastics factory in Erwin, a small rural community in Tennessee. As heavy rainfall swelled the nearby Nolichucky River, employees at the factory were kept at work despite deteriorating conditions. Many workers later claimed they were not allowed to leave in time to avoid the storm’s impact. The factory only shut down when floodwaters reached the parking lot, and power to the plant was lost, but by then, it was too late for some to escape the rising waters.
The raging floodwaters swept away 11 factory workers, only five of whom were rescued. The incident left two workers confirmed dead, while four remain missing. These tragic losses are part of a wider toll that has now reached over 180 across six states impacted by the hurricane. In addition to the factory workers, dozens of people in Erwin were also rescued from the roof of a local hospital during the flooding.
On Wednesday, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) spokesperson Leslie Earhart confirmed that the agency had begun investigating Impact Plastics following a request from local District Attorney Steven R. Finney. Finney stated that the bureau was asked to investigate any possible criminal violations related to the occurrences at the factory on Friday, the day the flooding swept through.
Impact Plastics has not yet been contacted by the TBI, according to company spokesperson Tony Treadway, but the company has pledged full cooperation. Treadway also mentioned that Impact Plastics is conducting its own internal review, which they plan to release publicly.
As water levels rose, some workers managed to drive away from the factory, but others were caught in traffic on clogged roads where floodwaters swept vehicles away. Videos captured the brown floodwaters engulfing the nearby highway and reaching the doors of the Impact Plastics facility.
Jacob Ingram, a mold changer at the factory, recorded himself and four others waiting for rescue as floodwaters surged around them, with vehicles bobbing in the current. Ingram later posted the videos on Facebook, captioning them, “Just wanna say im lucky to be alive.” Footage of their helicopter rescue was shared on social media on Saturday. In the video, Ingram can be seen looking into the camera while a Tennessee National Guard helicopter hovered above, hoisting one of the survivors to safety. In another clip, a soldier fitted an evacuee into a harness for the airlift.
On Monday, Impact Plastics released a statement indicating that they had “continued to monitor weather conditions” on the day of the flood and dismissed employees only after water began to cover the parking lot, the adjacent service road, and the plant lost power. However, these claims have been contested by some of the workers who made it out of the factory. In interviews with local news outlets, several employees claimed that they were told to remain at the plant until it was too late to leave safely. One worker told News 5 WCYB that management delayed evacuation until the situation was already critical, while Ingram expressed similar frustrations to the Knoxville News Sentinel.
“They should’ve evacuated when we got the flash flood warnings and when they saw the parking lot flooding,” Ingram said. “We asked them if we should evacuate, and they told us not yet, it wasn’t bad enough.”
Robert Jarvis, another worker at the factory, echoed these concerns in an interview with News 5 WCYB, arguing that the company should have allowed workers to leave earlier. Jarvis said that when he finally tried to drive away, the water had risen too high on the main road, making it impassable for regular vehicles. “The water was coming up,” he said. “A guy in a 4×4 came, picked a bunch of us up, and saved our lives, or we’d have been dead, too.”
The workers initially found temporary safety on the back of a passing truck, but this makeshift refuge soon overturned after being struck by debris in the powerful current. Ingram survived by clinging to plastic pipes that were on the truck. He said he and four others floated nearly half a mile before finding refuge on a solid pile of debris.
Ingram’s father, Michael Graham, said his son was resting at home on Wednesday, recovering from cuts and lung issues sustained during the ordeal. Graham recounted the harrowing call he received from his son during the crisis: “We got a call, Jacob saying, ‘I’m stuck at work, we’re on the back of a semitruck. We climbed as high as we can. Just tell everybody, I love them if I don’t make it out again.’”
Graham welcomed the criminal investigation into Impact Plastics, suggesting that accountability might prevent future tragedies. “It does seem ridiculous to me that this plant wasn’t evacuated,” Graham said, expressing frustration at the management’s apparent negligence.
Impact Plastics founder Gerald O’Connor also addressed the tragedy in a statement on Monday. “We are devastated by the tragic loss of great employees,” O’Connor said, adding that the missing and deceased workers and their families are in their thoughts and prayers.
Among those confirmed dead were two Mexican nationals, according to Lisa Sherman-Nikolaus, executive director of the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition. She said that the victims’ families had begun raising funds online to cover funeral expenses and other related costs.
One of the deceased, Bertha Mendoza, was at the factory with her sister when the flooding began. They were separated during the chaos, according to a tribute on a GoFundMe page written by Mendoza’s daughter-in-law, who declined interview requests. “She was loved dearly by her family, community, her church family, and co-workers,” the tribute read, highlighting the deep personal loss felt by her loved ones.
