Tennessee investigating plastics factory after workers trapped by Hurricane Helene floods died, went missing

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.”

NBC News has reached out to Impact Plastics but did not get an immediate response.

Relatives of the missing and deceased workers and factory employees who survived have alleged they were made to show up to work despite movement of the hurricane through the area. Some have said they were denied the chance to leave before the torrid waters from heavy rainfall inundated the plastics factory’s parking lot and cut off their escape routes.

Robbie Jarvis, one of the surviving employees, told NBC News his requests to leave were denied and he was told instead to move his car, which he did twice.

He said despite the weather “we were told to be at work” and about 30 people were working Friday morning when the flooding trapped them. He described a scene of chaos and panic as workers tried to traverse the deadly waters.

“I just wish we never went to work that day. Because it was unnecessary, all these lives we lost because of that. It was wrong,” Jarvis said.

Bertha Mendoza, 56, was among workers who were trapped. Her son, Guillermo Mendoza, confirmed to NBC News that she had died when she was swept from the flat bed of a truck of a company next door to the plastics factory that had come to rescue her.

Fernando Ruiz, the son of Lidia Verdugo, one of the plant workers, also confirmed to NBC News that his mother had died. She fell into the water from a vehicle that was trying to get her to safety, he said.

Impact Plastics Inc. has expressed sympathy for the missing and deceased workers but said in a statement workers were given time to leave the factory.

“While most employees left immediately, some remained on or near the premises for unknown reasons,” the company said in a statement. “Senior management and assistants remained to oversee employee departures, assess damage and preserve company records. They were the last to exit the building.

The company has also said that at no time did it tell workers they would be fired if they left and that bilingual staff delivered warnings to workers.