ERWIN, Tenn. (WJHL) — A plastics manufacturer in Unicoi County expressed sympathy after several employees went missing or died amid catastrophic flooding.
Impact Plastics issued a press release on Monday stating that the company “expresses sympathy for the missing and deceased employees and one contractor during the historic and devastating floods at its facility on Friday, September 27.”
Impact Plastics is located in the Riverview Industrial Park in Erwin.
“We are devastated by the tragic loss of great employees,” Impact Plastics founder Gerald O’Connor said in the release. “Those who are missing or deceased, and their families are in our thoughts and prayers.”
According to Impact Plastics, the company was monitoring weather conditions on Friday morning after intense rainfall the night before.
Employees were dismissed by management to their homes when the plant lost power and water started covering the parking lot and nearby service road, according to the release.
“At no time were employees told that they would be fired if they left the facility,” the release states. “For employees who were non-English speaking, bi-lingual employees were among the group of managers who delivered the message.”
Impact Plastics stated that most employees left immediately, but some remained at the facility or nearby for unknown reasons.
Senior management and some assistants reportedly stayed at the plant to make preserve company records, assess damage to the building and oversee the departure of employees. Those employees were the last the leave the building, Impact Plastics reports.
The company stated that some employees left the industrial park in a truck owned by a neighboring company and driven by a driver employed by the other company. Other Impact Plastics employees reportedly left by taking the CSX railroad track behind the plant because of high waters that had entered the front of the facility.
“Due to the quickly rising water, the truck tipped over and five employees and a contractor aboard the truck went missing,” the release states. “Five others who were also on the truck when it tipped over made it to safety and were later evacuated. Those who departed by the railroad tracks were offered assistance from employees of an adjacent company, making it to safety.”
According to the company, a National Guard helicopter was sent at the request of senior management to search for other employees. The helicopter airlifted five other employees to safety, the release states.
Impact Plastics is working to organize a recovery center to help employees and provide more information on their benefits and job opportunities.
Impact Plastics plans to reopen operations in the future but did not provide an estimated date.
“Impact Plastics remains committed to assisting its employees and help them connect to available resources after the devasting effects of the horrific floods that occurred on September 27, 2024,” the company stated.