**Hurricane Helene's Floodwaters Trap and Kill Workers at Tennessee Plastics Factory**

The catastrophic floodwaters from Hurricane Helene have resulted in tragic fatalities at a plastics factory in eastern Tennessee. Workers at Impact Plastics in Erwin found themselves stranded as the Nolichucky River inundated the area, sweeping several employees away from the company's parking lot.

Family members received desperate video phone calls from their loved ones as the situation deteriorated rapidly. Social media platforms were soon filled with frantic appeals for help in locating the missing workers. Many brought photographs to a news conference, urging the authorities to expedite the search efforts. Eventually, heartbreaking updates confirmed that several of the missing workers had died; many of them were of Latino descent.

Eyewitness accounts and social media posts suggested that workers were trapped outside the Impact Plastics building, encircled by swift-moving floodwaters that prevented their escape. Alexa Peterson from Erwin told NBC News that her father, Johnny Peterson, was among the deceased. Alexa revealed on social media that Johnny had been one of the trapped workers. Declining further comment, she mentioned seeking legal advice.

Interviews conducted by NBC affiliate WCYB of Bristol highlighted the confusion and lack of directive faced by the workers. Fernando Ruiz recounted through an interpreter that his mother was still at work during the heavy rain. Despite his urging her to leave, she remained as management provided no clear instructions.

Impact Plastics issued a statement expressing condolences for both the missing and deceased employees and a contractor whose status was not clarified. The company's release detailed that although the rainfall initially pummeled the area on Friday morning, it had subsided as the day went on. Despite this, the employees were dismissed only after floodwaters had submerged the parking lot and adjacent roads, and when the plant lost power.

Guadalupe Hernandez Corona shared with the same news station that her sister, Monica Hernandez, was among the trapped workers. Guadalupe tearfully recalled that Monica had called her, saying they were on top of a trailer inside the factory, bidding farewell and imploring her to call 911 and pray.

An immigration advocacy group, the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition, underscored the need for improved services for immigrants during disasters. Their statement criticized local and state agencies for failing to provide adequate interpretation services and noted that requests for identification from immigrant family members hindered their ability to locate missing loved ones.