Industry Insights

Formal Company Statement Following Hurricane Helene

Written by Natalie MacVarish | Oct 11, 2024 4:39:27 PM

PLEASE NOTE:

Superior Plastics Extrusion Company Inc., DBA Impact Plastics /DBA ICPG with locations in Putnam, CT and Hamlet, NC is in NO WAY affiliated with Impact Plastics, Inc. in Erwin, Tennessee and our ownership and leadership are NOT CONNECTED in any way. 

Continue reading for our official statement on the tragedy:

Addressing the News Following Hurricane Helene

In the aftermath of Hurricane Helene Superior Plastics Extrusion Company Inc., DBA Impact Plastics, DBA ICPG would like to take the opportunity to clear up any remaining confusion regarding the tragedy that occurred in Erwin, Tennessee on Friday, September 27th, 2024.

Following the hurricane, the news broke that at least 5 employees of Impact Plastics, Inc., located in Erwin, TN, had perished in a catastrophic flood that occurred at the company's facility as a result of the hurricane. 

First and foremost, our thoughts and prayers go out to the families affected by Hurricane Helene in Erwin, TN and other regions of the country, and we extend our deepest sympathies and condolences to the victims of the flood that occurred at Impact Plastics Inc. in Erwin Tennessee.

PLEASE NOTE that Superior Plastics Extrusion Company Inc., DBA Impact Plastics, DBA ICPG is in NO WAY affiliated with Impact Plastics, Inc. in Tennessee and our ownership and leadership are NOT CONNECTED in any way, shape or form. 

Due to the overlap in names, there was confusion following the news as to our company's involvement in the tragedy. While we were terribly sorry to hear the news of this tragedy, we would again like to reiterate that we are in NO WAY affiliated with the company in Erwin, TN and are NOT the company responsible for this terrible tragedy.

To address questions regarding the overlap in names, please note that Superior Plastics Extrusion Co., Inc. has been using the name Impact Plastics in day-to-day business dealings since the 1970s. The use of the name Superior Plastics Extrusion Co. Inc. and the DBA came later on following a change in ownership structure. This all occurred before the company in Tennessee was even established. In addition, the companies produce two different products and have no overlap in that respect.

Company Standard Operating Procedures for Hurricane Preparedness

Each hurricane season, our organizations puts a plan in place to address potential risks to our employees and has put a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) in place for Emergency Preparedness & Response that defines the emergency process for both plants to be prepared to manage actual situations, including natural disasters such as Hurricanes, Tornados, and Snow/Wind, and help the business recover quickly from disasters.

This SOP is in place both for the safety of our employees and for security of our customers, and outlines notification procedures for shift cancellation or operational shut-down, as well as procedures to shelter-in-place depending on the conditions of the natural disaster. 

In addition, we closely monitor weather forecasts and advisories to anticipate and react promptly to any threats posed by hurricanes, and we maintain open lines of communication to provide regular status updates to our operations team regarding any threats to employee safety and any potential impacts on operations. 

Maintaining A Safe and Healthy Working Environment

Superior Plastics Extrusion Company Inc., DBA Impact Plastics, DBA ICPG extends our most sincere condolences to those affected by Hurricane Helene and those personally affected by the tragedy in Erwin, Tennessee. We would like to reiterate one final time that while we were terribly sorry to hear the news of this tragedy, we are in NO WAY affiliated with the company in Erwin, TN and are NOT the company responsible for this terrible tragedy.

We too, have a responsibility to keep our employees safe and to foster a healthy working environment. Following the news of this tragedy, our employees were met with a barrage of hateful phone calls, text messages, emails, and social media interactions and in some cases peoples lives, homes and families were met with threats of physical violence. While we understand and empathize with the hurt and confusion following this tragedy, we do not condone this harassment in any form. 

We ask for the safety, security and mental wellbeing of our employees that individuals exercise compassion before jumping to conclusions about our involvement and please do your research on the event rather than make assumptions about our organization.

If anyone has further questions we welcome you to reach out at icpg@impactgroup.co.