US packaging industry operations halted by Hurricane Helene amid mass displacement

Hurricane Helene has led to deaths at a plastics facility and the temporary closure of a paperboard facility in the US. The hurricane hit Florida, North Carolina and Georgia, spreading over 5,000 miles (~800 km), leaving parts of America’s southeast “nearly unrecognizable” and deaths rising to 227. 

About half the victims are in North Carolina, while dozens more were killed in Georgia and South Carolina. 

Packagers in the regions have had to face suspended operations, facility damage and employee displacement. Some companies have also donated to charity and relief efforts in their communities. Damage to the industry is not yet fully calculated. 

At the plastic manufacturing facility Impact Plastics located in Erwin, Tennessee, 11 people were swept away, and only five of them were rescued. While four people who worked at the plant are still missing, two have been confirmed dead, The Associated Press reports. 

Families of the victims are outraged because they say employees were made to work during extreme weather conditions, and some were told they couldn’t leave as warnings of heavy rainfall in the flood-prone area poured in.

Impact Plastics reportedly denied those claims, saying the allegations are false and that no employee was stopped from leaving.

The plant remains closed and no comments are to be provided at this time. 

The US government is providing disaster relief to those affected by Hurricane Helene. Paper operation suspensions

Meanwhile, Clearwater Paper Corporation temporarily suspended operations at its Augusta, Georgia paperboard facility and its Shelby, North Carolina tissue facility due to the impacts from Hurricane Helene. 

Clearwater Paper is a premier supplier of bleached paperboard and quality consumer tissue.

The company reports that no serious damage to equipment has happened and both facilities are resuming operations.

“As we deal with the aftermath of this powerful storm, our top priorities remain the safety of our people and ramping up our operations to service our customers,” says Arsen Kitch, president and chief executive officer. 

“We are deeply grateful to our Augusta and Shelby teams for their efforts to safely resume production and minimize the impact on our business while personally dealing with the effects of the storm.”

A spokesperson at Clearwater Paper tells Packaging Insights that no further update is to be provided at this moment. 

Packaging group donations

Paper Excellence Group companies Domtar Corporation and Resolute Forest Products announced US$100,000 in financial support to assist four local communities following the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene.

Several communities where Paper Excellence Group operates facilities were hit by the storm, affecting employees and their families.

Company representatives worked in collaboration with community officials to identify four charitable organizations that provide direct aid to hurricane victims in Florida, Georgia, Tennessee and the Carolinas.

The company is donating US$25,000 to each of the following organizations to provide localized aid: Cross City Restore and Renew (Cross City, Florida), Tabitha’s Table (Jesup, Georgia), USO/National Guard (South Carolina and North Carolina) and RegionAHEAD (Kingsport, Tennessee). 

“Hurricane Helene devastated areas of the southeastern US where our employees live and work,” comments Steve Henry, president of Paper and Packaging for the Paper Excellence Group.

When rebuilding begins, the company plans to donate several truckloads of lumber in the Cross City, Florida, area.