December 10, 2021 Over 30 Tornados Across Six States

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RAISINISBACK said:
Kentucky candle factory bosses threatened to fire those who fled tornado, say workers (msn.com)

Haley Conder, 29, said she was one of a number of employees who approached three managers again at about 9pm when the alarm sounded a second time.
“‘You can’t leave, you can’t leave. You have to stay here,’” Conder said the managers told the group. “The situation was bad. Everyone was uncomfortable.”


Sad but once the sirens went off a second time the managers were right not to let them leave. They were safer in the building than out in their cars.

The casinos my tribe owns has a policy not to allow any workers or guests to leave once a tornado is confirmed to be on the ground near them. Security locks the doors and employees are told to take shelter in the bathrooms or hallways. Guests are also asked to move to the hallways or bathrooms. You would be really surprised at how many of the guests refuse and remain at the slot machines to keep playing. Security literally has to cash out their tickets and order them off the machines. Especially older people.

JMO
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This is the quote that stuck with me:

Multiple employees of the Mayfield Consumer Products factory told NBC News that they took shelter in bathrooms and hallways when they first heard tornado warning sirens, then supervisors ordered them back to work when they mistakenly assumed the danger had passed.
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bbm
 
I have seen quite a few articles complaining that employees were not allowed to leave the candle factory and Amazon when the storm was approaching.

Did they really think they would be safer driving away in their cars as the tornado approached?

Reminds me of a tornado warning we had during school hours here in Indiana a couple years ago. Texts and phone calls to parents advised that the children would be held at school in designated storm shelter areas until the tornado warning expired 45 minutes after the usual dismissal time.

We were having a violent storm and we’re under a tornado warning, and parents were furious that they couldn’t pick up their kids until after the tornado warning expired. Did they think the kids would be safer in their cars?
 
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fred&edna said:
FEMA offers funeral assistance in a disaster.

https://www.fema.gov/pdf/media/factsheets/2011/dad_funeral.pdf

But, I suppose victims are double-covered by the state fund, as well.

Each Kentucky family who lost loved ones in tornadoes will get $5K in burial funds

I'm glad there's help for those lives lost AND the family that must carry on.
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FEMA is the worst. After a natural disaster where almost 500 homes were lost, we had so much trouble getting anything from FEMA that most of us just plain gave up. They would call us, direct us to a website to fill out forms to pretty much give out your DNA (not really, but it was extremely invasive), then send you a denial letter. A year later, they set up 10 pods for temporary housing, of which only one person out of those 500 families ever qualified.

Red Cross, however, set up a booth at our evacuation center, handing out vouchers for hotels and food, and still call to this day asking if I need anything.

One of the organizations that formed during the fires here last summer, Cascade Relief Center, is on their way to help in Kentucky. They have been a godsend to fill in the gaps and help rebuild communities.
 
IceIce9 said:
I have seen quite a few articles complaining that employees were not allowed to leave the candle factory and Amazon when the storm was approaching.

Did they really think they would be safer driving away in their cars as the tornado approached?

Reminds me of a tornado warning we had during school hours here in Indiana a couple years ago. Texts and phone calls to parents advised that the children would be held at school in designated storm shelter areas until the tornado warning expired 45 minutes after the usual dismissal time.

We were having a violent storm and we’re under a tornado warning, and parents were furious that they couldn’t pick up their kids until after the tornado warning expired. Did they think the kids would be safer in their cars?
Click to expand...
I don't think the complaints are about leaving right when the storm got there, I think it's more like everyone knew for nearly all week these storms were coming and they shouldn't have been there that evening at all since the company's don't provide a safe place to shelter in. Of course with Amazon, that's not going to happen. Thankfully, our governor here in IL where the Amazon thing happened is looking at updating the code where those types of buildings aren't allowed. At the very least there should have been safe rooms. There aren't any in any Amazon warehouse evidently, even though the guy that owns it is a multi billion and has money to burn in space. Maybe for the higher ups, but certainly not for the little guy.
 
Becky Starkey said:
I don't think the complaints are about leaving right when the storm got there, I think it's more like everyone knew for nearly all week these storms were coming and they shouldn't have been there that evening at all since the company's don't provide a safe place to shelter in. Of course with Amazon, that's not going to happen. Thankfully, our governor here in IL where the Amazon thing happened is looking at updating the code where those types of buildings aren't allowed. At the very least there should have been safe rooms. There aren't any in any Amazon warehouse evidently, even though the guy that owns it is a multi billion and has money to burn in space. Maybe for the higher ups, but certainly not for the little guy.
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And they threatened to fire them if did leave. At the candle factory.
 
Becky Starkey said:
I don't think the complaints are about leaving right when the storm got there, I think it's more like everyone knew for nearly all week these storms were coming and they shouldn't have been there that evening at all since the company's don't provide a safe place to shelter in. Of course with Amazon, that's not going to happen. Thankfully, our governor here in IL where the Amazon thing happened is looking at updating the code where those types of buildings aren't allowed. At the very least there should have been safe rooms. There aren't any in any Amazon warehouse evidently, even though the guy that owns it is a multi billion and has money to burn in space. Maybe for the higher ups, but certainly not for the little guy.
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We shall see. I can guarantee you that my former employer would not have told employees to stay home or go home because there was a threat of storms for a week. Thunderstorm warnings do not automatically mean tornadoes are going to develop from those cells.
 
Becky Starkey said:
And they threatened to fire them if did leave. At the candle factory.
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I don't really see that going anywhere. I have been at work, when we had tornado warnings, no one leaves, because who knows where a tornado will strike? Better to stay put than be driving around outside. I remember the electricity went out. We all went to the bottom floor, inner office areas. Waited it out.
 
lilithblue said:
FEMA is the worst. After a natural disaster where almost 500 homes were lost, we had so much trouble getting anything from FEMA that most of us just plain gave up. They would call us, direct us to a website to fill out forms to pretty much give out your DNA (not really, but it was extremely invasive), then send you a denial letter. A year later, they set up 10 pods for temporary housing, of which only one person out of those 500 families ever qualified.

Red Cross, however, set up a booth at our evacuation center, handing out vouchers for hotels and food, and still call to this day asking if I need anything.

One of the organizations that formed during the fires here last summer, Cascade Relief Center, is on their way to help in Kentucky. They have been a godsend to fill in the gaps and help rebuild communities.
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Rolling my eyes. FEMA. Red Cross - have never seen them in the area after a hurricane. Windstorm insurance is mandatory and very expensive.
JMO
 
mickey2942 said:
I don't really see that going anywhere. I have been at work, when we had tornado warnings, no one leaves, because who knows where a tornado will strike? Better to stay put than be driving around outside. I remember the electricity went out. We all went to the bottom floor, inner office areas. Waited it out.
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Same here. We were sent home if there was a snow storm, ice storm but never for thunderstorm warnings. I’ve lived in tornado alley for decades and I’ve never been sent home from work due to threat of thunderstorms.
 
BeckyF said:
Same here. We were sent home if there was a snow storm, ice storm but never for thunderstorm warnings. I’ve lived in tornado alley for decades and I’ve never been sent home from work due to threat of thunderstorms.
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As I stated, no safe rooms provided. You should be able to leave if there are deadly storms headed your way in these flimsy buildings if they don't want to provide their employees a safe place to ride out the storm, under the threat of firing as well. That has nothing to do with how lucky other people are that their places of employment didn't get blown away in just a "thunderstorm". It wasn't just a thunderstorm. But thankfully people are taking a hard look at being treated as chattel in this economy and that these buildings are a horrible place to be stuck in in the age of climate crisis.
 
I’m so sorry about everyone who has lost their life, been injured, lost their home, their livelihoods, businesses. The scale of the tragedy and the immense devastation which has occurred is unimaginable.

It is sickening to know that the workers were threatened with their employment being terminated if they left the factory or warehouse to get to a safer location/be home with their loved ones to try and ensure their safety.

Has Amazon not even offered to pay for the funerals of the six workers that died in their warehouse? If they have not done so it is disgusting and disgraceful in my opinion. It is absolutely heartless if a company as successful as Amazon is not prepared to do what is morally right and cover the funeral costs of workers who died in their warehouse. These poor people lost their lives whilst working hard for the company and look at how they have been treated in life and death.

I have been watching the coverage of this horrifying tragedy and reading articles about the victims who have died, the people who have been injured, the miraculous stories of survival like the two young children being found in a bathtub, reading about the intensity, path and scales of the tornadoes and have watched the video of a pet dog being reunited with their owner near the rubble of their home.

It is absolutely terrifying to watch the video of the massive tornado spinning violently in the dark and it can only be seen when illuminated with the powerful lightning strikes. I can’t imagine what it must be like to have something so incredibly dangerous and frightening as that occur where you live or or work and not be able to see it at all at night.

Is there any possibility of the families of the workers who tragically died in the candle factory or the Amazon warehouse filing wrongful death lawsuits because their loved ones were not allowed to leave work earlier to find a safer place when severe storms were forecast to shelter from the storm or because the buildings did not provide more protection from severe weather? I don’t mean to be insensitive to the victims who have tragically died by asking this question, I just wondered if a lawsuit like this would have any chance of success

I have read comments online from people claiming that it is practically impossible and extremely expensive for a business to build sufficient protection from an intense tornado. In an EF-5 tornado buildings can be completely destroyed down to the concrete foundations with winds up to 200 mph. There definitely needs to be changes made with employees being given legal protection from having their employment terminated if they wish to leave work early in the event of a very severe weather warning being issued. In addition there needs to be an assessment done of affordable ways businesses can provide greater protection in the event of the premises being struck by a tornado. This is no easy task as smaller businesses will be unable to pay the significant additional costs and large business like Amazon will not be keen to spend substantially more building warehouses etc with large storm shelters and significantly thicker walls etc to provide greater protection.
 

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