Floodwaters from Hurricane Helene trapped workers at an eastern Tennessee plastics factory, with several family members learning Monday that their loved ones didn't survive.
Slowly, their postings were updated to say that their loved ones, several of them Latino, had died.
In interviews with WCYB News 5 in Tennessee, family members said their loved ones had told them they were not advised what to do.
“At no time were employees told that they would be fired if they left the facility.
For employees who were non-English speaking, bilingual employees were among the group of managers who delivered the message,” the company stated.
Persons:
Helene, Alexa Peterson, Erwin, Johnny Peterson, Peterson, Fernando Ruiz, ”, Gerald O’Connor, Joe Biden, Guadalupe Hernandez Corona, Monica Hernandez, “, ” Hernandez Corona
Organizations:
Impact Plastics, NBC News, WCYB, “, Employees, Tennessee, Refugee Rights Coalition
Locations:
Tennessee, Erwin, Unicoi County, Florida, North Carolina