Dive Brief:
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An Amazon delivery station in Edwardsville, Illinois, took the brunt of a category 3 tornado on Friday, killing six people and injuring several others, according to the National Weather Service. The facility was 1.1 million square feet and employed about 190 people across multiple shifts, Amazon said by email.
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“We’re deeply saddened by the news that members of our Amazon family passed away as a result of the storm in Edwardsville, IL,” Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel said by email. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims, their loved ones, and everyone impacted by the tornado. We also want to thank all the first responders for their ongoing efforts on scene. We’re continuing to provide support to our employees and partners in the area.”
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In an emailed statement, the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union called the devastation “another outrageous example of the company putting profits over the health and safety of their workers.”
Dive Insight:
The devastation at the Amazon facility in Illinois occurred amid a spate of twisters that tore through the region on Friday. In Edwardsville, winds reached 150 miles per hour, according to the National Weather Service.
“The west-facing walls of the warehouse collapsed inward, which was followed by multiple structural failures as the tornado moved through the complex, including the collapse of additional walls and the loss of a large segment of the roof,” the agency said. “This was the worst damage along the entire tornado track rated EF-3. Cars in the rear of the building were strewn eastward and power lines and several large high tension towers were also destroyed.”
Search and recovery efforts were hampered because just seven of the workers in the area were directly employed by Amazon, with others working at contractors, according to the New York Times. The Edwardsville police chief during a press conference Saturday said accounting for the employees was difficult in part “because it’s not a set staff” at the Amazon facility.
The delivery station opened in July 2020, Amazon said by email. Those facilities prepare orders for last-mile delivery to customers by delivery service partners and Amazon Flex drivers, the company said.
The e-commerce giant said it is now assisting with recovery efforts, including a $1 million donation to the Edwardsville Community Foundation, and the provision of transportation, food, water and accommodations for employees, contract workers and first responders.
Tornadoes also struck elsewhere in the region, including in Missouri and other parts of Illinois, as well as Arkansas, western Kentucky and northwest Tennessee, according to the National Weather Service. On Monday, home improvement retailer Lowe’s announced a $1 million donation toward “relief and recovery efforts after tornadoes cut through Kentucky and the nation’s heartland, causing catastrophic and unprecedented damage.”
