First responders surround a damaged Amazon Distribution Center on Dec. 11, 2021, in Edwardsville, Illinois. At least six people were reportedly confirmed dead at an Amazon warehouse near St. Louis, after a hit from a tornado Friday night caused part of the building to collapse.
Workers remain trapped at an Amazon warehouse in Edwardsville, Illinois, after the building suffered a partial collapse during a tornado, damaging the building’s roof and walls.
One of the next things we asked ourselves was, what happens when there is a tornado warning at Amazon?
Here is what we found. amazon said following a tornado warning company procedure was for all employees to be “notified and directed to move to a designated and marked shelter in place location“.
A researcher who studies the warehouse industry and the pressure put on Amazon workers to meet strict productivity quotas said even if Amazon’s team did everything right in responding to a devastating tornado, it raises the question about the structure of enormous warehouses popping up across the midwest as some climate experts warn of more freq.
What time did the tornado hit the Amazon warehouse?
An Amazon spokesperson, Kelly Nantel, said the warehouse received tornado warnings between 8.06pm and 8.16pm on Friday and site leaders directed workers to immediately take shelter. At 8.27pm, the tornado struck the building.
There are reports of workers trapped after a tornado, forming in severe weather that marauded through multiple states, struck an Amazon warehouse in Edwardsville, Illinois. You can see videos from the scene throughout this article.
The Edwardsville site received tornado warnings between 20:06 and 20:16 local time (01:06 and 01:16 GMT) before the tornado struck the building at 20:27, Amazon said in a statement when contacted by the BBC, with events “happening incredibly fast”.
You may be wondering “How many people died in the Amazon tornado?”
As of Monday, everyone reported having been at the Amazon facility when the tornado struck on Friday evening has been accounted for, and there are no further reports of missing individuals. One individual remains hospitalized with “serious injuries,” the city’s statement added, and six people have died.
What buildings were hit by tornadoes in Illinois?
An Amazon delivery center in Edwardsville, Ill, was one of the buildings in the path of tornadoes that ripped though six states on Friday night, leaving at least 90 dead, including six at the facility. A tornado that formed in the parking lot caused about half of the 40-foot-tall structure to collapse. A candle factory in Mayfield, Ky.
What happened to the Amazon warehouse that collapsed?
Amazon said workers at the warehouse had little time to prepare when the National Weather Service declared a tornado warning on Friday night. The tornado arrived soon after, collapsing both sides of the warehouse and caving in its roof.
Are amazon workers striking?
Amazon workers around the world are protesting about their working conditions, including through strike actions, during one of the busiest periods of the year.
The UNI Global Union said that workers and supporters would hold Amazon to account for alleged anti-union practices, worker safety issues, tax avoidance, and the company’s environmental impact. The largest strikes are expected to be in Germany— which after the U. S, is the company’s second-most important market.
The largest strikes are expected to be in Germany— which after the U. S, is the company’s second-most important market. Amazon AMZN, +0.38% has a longstanding battle with Verdi, the country’s second-largest trade union, which has a history of successfully mobilizing the company’s workers, including actions during Prime Day in October.
Amazon also faced earlier strikes from workers in France and Italy and has been hit by legal complaints over safety concerns in Spain, according to a global alliance of unions coordinated by UNI Global Union.
What do the Amazon and Instacart strikes mean for tech companies?
The strikes highlight a fundamental tension in the tech industry right now: Business such as Amazon and Instacart are experiencing so much demand from customers wary of stepping outside that they have announced plans to hire 100,000 warehouse workers and 300,000 shoppers, respectively.