Erwin, Tennessee manufacturer Impact Plastics on Monday issued a press release to WJHL saying they express “sympathy for the missing and deceased employees and one contractor during the historic and devastating floods at its facility on Friday, September 27.” The release quoted founder Gerald O’Connor saying “We are devastated by the tragic loss of great employees. Those who are missing or deceased, and their families are in our thoughts and prayers.” The company said they had been monitoring weather conditions on Friday morning as Hurricane Helene approached and that the employees were told to go home as soon as the power went out, per the press release.
“At no time were employees told that they would be fired if they left the facility. For employees who were non-English speaking, bi-lingual employees were among the group of managers who delivered the message,” the release said. Again this was Monday when they put this in a press statement.
On Tuesday employee Jake Ingram told Knox News that’s not quite accurate. “They should’ve evacuated when we got the flash flood warnings, and when they saw the parking lot… We asked them if we should evacuate, and they told us not yet, it wasn’t bad enough.”
“And by the time it was bad enough, it was too late unless you had a four-wheel-drive,” Ingram continued. At least two employees and as many as seven are dead, several of whom were swept away then the tractor trailer they were clinging to the top of was tipped over by the raging flash flood. So yeah, now NBC News reports the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is opening a criminal probe into Impact upon request of local Judicial District Attorney General Steve Finney.
And yes, Gerald O’Connor is a Republican donor. Couldn’t leave that out since it’s all very on-brand, especially the non-English speaking employees who were probably not citizens or even legal residents. What kind of “America First” party donor would say no to cheap, reliable labor so scared of being reported to ICE that they couldn’t even leave a factory when the power was out?