Helene’s flooding swept away 11 workers at a Tennessee factory. Now the state is investigating

Associated Press

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee state authorities are investigating the company that owns a plastics factory where 11 workers were swept away by cataclysmic flooding unleashed by Hurricane Helene. A Tennessee Bureau of Investigation spokesperson said Wednesday that the agency is investigating allegations involving Impact Plastics at the direction of the local prosecutor. Employees in the factory in the small community of Erwin asserted that they weren’t allowed to leave in time to avoid the storm’s impact. It wasn’t until water flooded into the parking lot and the power went out that the plant shut down and sent workers home. Several never made it.