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The body of a woman swept away by Hurricane Helene found after more than a month
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The body of a woman swept away by Hurricane Helene found after more than a month

The body of a woman who was swept away by Hurricane Helene more than a month ago has been found, according to a local NBC affiliate. WBIR reported.

Rosa Andrade, 29, was one of six employees who died after becoming trapped at the Impact Plastics factory in Erwin, Tennessee, due to rising floodwaters on September 27. She is survived by her husband and two children.

Andrade’s body was found along Interstate 26 on Wednesday, Oct. 30, and was identified the next day, Unicoi County Search and Rescue Team Leader William Edwards said in a statement has CNN.

The biggest challenge in finding Andrade was combing through the piles of debris, Edwards said, because some were more than 9 feet deep.

Of the 11 factory workers at the time of the flood, five were successfully rescued. Surviving workers say Impact Plastics employees were not allowed to leave the premises until the parking lot was flooded and the power was cut off. Associated Press reported.

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The intense flooding came from the nearby Nolichucky River, which ran alongside the plant and I-26. The river, which typically flows about 2 feet deep, reached 30 feet deep on the day of the flood. The AP reported that 1.4 million gallons of water flowed downstream every second, twice as much as Niagara Falls.

Impact Plastics after Hurricane Helene.

AP Photo/Jeff Roberson, file


The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is currently investigating allegations against Impact Plasticsand the state Office of Occupational Safety is also investigating the nature of the deaths.

Gerald O’Connor, owner of Impact Plastics, says “no employees were forced to continue working and they were evacuated at least 45 minutes before the massive force of the flood hit the park industrial,” according to the AP.

Additionally, family members and loved ones of some of the workers who died in the floods are suing Impact Plastics. Relatives of Johnny Petersonwho also died in the flood, filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the company. The lawsuit contends that the employees were not fired, as O’Connor claimed, and were only ordered to move their cars while senior management left the premises.

Francisco Javier Guerrero, Andrade’s husband, last spoke to his wife while she was inside the factory. She said goodbye to him and told him to take care of the kids, he told WBIR.

Andrade is one of more than 200 people killed by Hurricane Helene. Everyone missing in Unicoi County during the hurricane has now been found.