Body of last Impact Plastics worker found month after Helene

In East Tennessee, Gov. Bill Lee viewed a buckled road damaged by the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. (Photo: Brandon Hull/Office of the Governor)

The body of the last missing Impact Plastics employee has been recovered more than a month after rapidly rising flood waters unleashed by Hurricane Helene swept 11 of the factory’s workers away as they tried to flee.

Five workers were rescued via helicopter by the National Guard. Rosa Maria Andrade Reynosa, a 29-year old mother of two, was among the six factory workers who did not survive.

“Rosa Maria Andrade Reynosa was recovered by Unicoi County Search and Rescue on Oct. 30th and then the identity confirmation was completed on Oct. 31st by the forensic center,” Andrew Harris, captain of the Unicoi County Search and Rescue team, confirmed via email Monday. 

Workers at the plant said they were forced to stay on the job Sept. 27 even as floodwaters rose in the parking lot of the Erwin, Tenn. plant. 

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and the Tennessee Occupational Safety and Health Administration (TOSHA) are investigating the workers’ allegations. 

The company has repeatedly denied claims that employees were not allowed to leave the facility, and pledged it will cooperate fully with the ongoing investigations. 

In a videotaped statement released days after the flood, Impact Plastics President and CEO Gerald O’Connor said the company had done an internal review of the incident and found the workers’ allegations to be “false.”