Employees Of A Tennessee Plastics Company Are Reportedly Missing After Being Told To Come Into Work Or Be Fired During Flooding From Hurricane Helene

Unfortunately, what they did is technically legal.

woman looking out at flood waters encierro | Shutterstock
Advertisement

The southeastern United States is still reeling from the impacts of Hurricane Helene. 

One group of families in Tennessee is feeling the pain and frustration of this even more keenly after their loved ones were told they had no choice but to come in to work in dangerous conditions. Now, employees are missing, and everyone is wondering why they were forced to go to work in the first place.

Employees at a plastics company in Erwin, Tennessee, were told they had to come in to work during Hurricane Helene, or they would be fired.

Erwin, Tennessee is a small town with roughly 6,000 residents located in Unicoi County in eastern Tennessee. In addition to its small population, it is also home to Impact Plastics, a plant that claims to be “on the front lines of plastic innovation.”

Advertisement
@sunshine_and_wine

Missing Reports - Hurricane Helene.💔

♬ Last Hope - Steve Ralph

RELATED: Reporter Stops Mid-Broadcast To Rescue Woman Trapped In Her Flooded Car During Hurricane Helene

Impact Plastics appears to be a small company, with only 17 employees connected to the business’ page on LinkedIn. It’s understandable that a small company would feel an extra measure of pressure at the thought of having to slow down or even discontinue production for a few days because of a storm.

Advertisement

That doesn’t, however, give a company the right to act as Impact Plastics did. 

A post in the Facebook group “Missing People In East TN & Western NC due to flooding” featured a post from Teresa Perez.

Perez shared screenshots of social media posts made by family and friends of those who went missing from Impact Plastics. There were nine screenshots in total.

Naturally, many people who came across the post wondered how so many people from one business could go missing, even in such tumultuous weather.

RELATED: Father Praised For Staying Outside In A Storm To Hold Up A Tree They Planted In Honor Of Their Son

Advertisement

One Facebook user, Tammy Sandlin Perez, asked, “Why are so many missing from that place? Why did they not let them go home when a storm was coming?”

Another user, Sarah Klase Richardson, replied, “They were told if they left early, they would be fired.”

While this information has not been confirmed by any official source, another person on Facebook, Chrissylynn Meissner, corroborated the account. “People’s family members are saying they were forced to stay until the water was waist-deep, and then the truck got caught in the current,” she said.

Based on another comment from Marci Kaye, Meissner seemed to be referring to a “flatbed truck” the National Guard used to attempt to rescue the employees.

Advertisement

Local news stations tried to get to the bottom of the situation.

Local news provider WJHL 11 reported on the number of missing people in Unicoi County, which they said numbered 73.

@heartoftxhome Please help!!!!We have not heard from my mom or her sisters since 9:45am yesterday morning. They were on vacation in Highlands NC. We know they left their airbnb per the property manager. They are in a BLACK NISSAN MURANO w/ Texas plates.Rita, Janet, and Barbara are their names. If anyone has seen them let me know. Or any shelters we can contact in the area to check. We have exhausted all resources we know of.Praying for everyone affected by Hurrican Helene.#missingperson #hurricanehelene #northcarolina #highlandsnc #pleasehelp #helene ♬ original sound - Sara | Heart of TX Home

“Over 25 agencies are working with the incident command set up at Unicoi County Middle School to help clean up debris and locate people still missing,” WJHL said.

The director of the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency, Jim Erwin, told WJHL, “We’ve probably got over 100 people at this time in the I-26 Industrial Park [areas] conducting searches, but there are such large debris piles that it will be very tedious and we have to be very careful during our procedure.”

Advertisement

The Industrial Park is where Impact Plastics is located. WJHL has been unable to reach the company for a statement.

There really are no laws for or against making employees work in these kinds of hazardous conditions.

While there are certain protections for employees to avoid working in dangerous situations, like OSHA, or the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, inclement weather policies are murky at best.

@yahoonews The aftermath of Hurricane Helene is still unfolding across the Southeastern U.S., where at least 91 people have been reported dead. Search teams are reportedly still trying to find over a thousand missing people in North Carolina and Tennessee. #hurricanehelene #asheville #ashvillenc #hurricaneseason #news #yahoonews ♬ original sound- Yahoo News

According to Axcet HR Solutions, “legally, you can insist your team report to work.” However, they also acknowledged that it is important for employers to “value the well-being and safety of each and every one of your workers.”

Advertisement

So, yes, it was technically legal for Impact Plastics to require their employees to come to work, even in a storm. However, doing so could cause major legal issues for the company as those who lost loved ones are likely to sue, as is their right.

RELATED: Legend Says Ancient Native American Blessing Has Protected Tampa From Hurricanes For Over 100 Years

Mary-Faith Martinez is a writer for YourTango who covers entertainment, news and human interest topics.