Body of Woman Swept Away in Flood Caused by Hurricane Helene Found More Than a Month Later

Mar. 15, 2025

Francesco Guerrero holds a photograph of his wife, Rosa Andrade.Photo:Saul Young/News Sentinel

Saul Young/News Sentinel

The body of a woman who was swept away in Hurricane Helene more than one month ago has been found, local NBC affiliateWBIRreported.

Andrade’s body was found along Interstate 26 on Wednesday, Oct. 30, and was identified the following day, said William Edwards, the chief of the Unicoi County Search and Rescue team, in a statement toCNN.

The greatest challenge in finding Andrade was combing through debris piles, Edwards said, as some were over 30 feet deep.

Of the 11 workers in the factory at the time of the flood, five were successfully rescued. Surviving workers claim that Impact Plastics employees were not allowed to leave the premises until the parking lot had flooded and the power went out, theAssociated Pressreported.

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Impact Plastics after Hurricane Helene.AP Photo/Jeff Roberson, File

AP Photo/Jeff Roberson, File

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is currently looking intoallegations against Impact Plastics, and the state’s workplace safety office is also investigating the nature of the deaths.

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

Additionally, family members and relatives of some of the workers who died in the flooding are suing Impact Plastics. Relatives ofJohnny Peterson, who also died in the flooding, have filed a lawsuit against the company for wrongful death. The lawsuit contends that employees were not dismissed from work, as O’Connor claimed, and were only directed to move their cars while senior management left the premises.

Andrade is one of over 200 killed in Hurricane Helene. All those who went missing in Unicoi County during the hurricane have now been found.

source: people.com