Amazon warehouse collapse sparks phone ban lift

Amazon workers have slammed a ban on using phones in the warehouse after it prevented them receiving weather warnings before a deadly tornado.

Amazon workers demand phone ban lift following warehouse collapse. Picture: Tim Vizer/AFP.

Amazon workers have slammed a phone ban that prevents them from bringing devices into warehouses after at least six people were killed in a tornado building collapse.

An Amazon worker who tried to warn colleagues has been named among the victims of Friday night’s tragedy when a string of tornadoes ripped through six states, The US Sun reports.

The warehouse in Edwardsville, Illinois, was left in rubble as rescuers desperately search for survivors in an operation that is expected to continue into next week

On Sunday afternoon, the victims were named as Deandre S. Morrow, 28, Kevin D. Dickey, 62, Clayton Lynn Cope, 29, Etheria S. Hebb, 34, Larry E. Virden, 46, and Austin J. McEwen, 26.

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Amazon warehouse hit by tornado in Illinois. Picture: ABC News

A dad-of-three and a toddler are also among the other victim of the tornadoes in the state that killed at least 83.

Amazon has reportedly banned its workers from carrying their phones on the warehouse floor, according to Bloomberg.

It requires devices to be left in cars or in lockers before passing security checks.

The ban had reportedly been eased during the pandemic but was being reinforced in the past few months.

Workers are now calling out the ban saying they want to have their phones on their person in the case of an emergency and to check potentially life-threatening weather reports.

“After these deaths, there is no way in hell I am relying on Amazon to keep me safe,” one worker told Bloomberg. “If they institute the no cell phone policy, I am resigning.”

Amazon workers cannot bring phones on the warehouse floor.

Another claimed she will use paid time off for extreme weather events if Amazon does not allow phones.

“I don’t trust them with my safety to be quite frank,” she said.

“If there’s severe weather on the way, I think I should be able to make my own decision about safety.”

Another worker added, “After this, everyone is definitely afraid of not being able to keep their phones on them.

“Most employees that I’ve talked to don’t keep their phones on them for personal conversation throughout the day, It’s genuinely for situations like this.”

There were six fatalities in the Amazon warehouse collapse. Picture: Tim Vizer/AFP.

‘Deeply saddened’

Amazon has said that emergency response training is provided to workers in its facilities.

It also said that employees are notified and directed to move to a designated, marked shelter if there was a tornado alert.

“We’re deeply saddened by the news that members of our Amazon family passed away as a result of the storm in Edwardsville, IL,” Amazon told The US Sun when asked for comment.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims, their loved ones, and everyone impacted by the tornado,” added Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel.

“We’re continuing to support our employees and partners in the area.”

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos waited until 8pm on Saturday night to tweet his condolences to the lives lost.

He had spent the earlier part of the day celebrating another celebrity space launch with his company Blue Origins.

“The news from Edwardsville is tragic. We’re heartbroken over the loss of our teammates there, and our thoughts and prayers are with their families and loved ones,” he wrote.

“All of Edwardsville should know that the Amazon team is committed to supporting them and will be by their side through this crisis.

“We extend our fullest gratitude to all the incredible first responders who have worked so tirelessly at the site.”

The Candle Factory in Mayfield, Kentucky was flattened by a tornado. Picture: Tayfun Coşkun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images.

VICTIMS NAMED

Up to 100 workers are thought to have been trapped in the Amazon factory when the tornado hit on Friday night.

Among those confirmed to be dead is Clayton Hope, a 29-year-old maintenance worker and navy veteran who tried to warn colleagues.

“He just said he needed to tell someone that [the tornado] was coming,” his mother, Carla Cope, told The Daily Beast.

“He had a big heart and he was a very sweet man.”

Clayton Hope was killed when the roof collapsed at an Amazon warehouse. Picture: Facebook.

Clayton’s mother went to the warehouse after the storm passed on Friday, looking for her son. She learned hours later from authorities that Clayton didn’t make it.

“[It was] gut-wrenching, nauseating and heartbreaking,” Ms Cope said.

When Clayton wasn’t at his job, his mother said that he “loved riding his Harley and fishing”.

Longtime friend Leighton Grothaus described him as “one of a kind person” who “buy anyone a drink at the bar”.

“He was the kind of person who would take the shirt off his back for anyone,” he added.

A candle factory in Kentucky where 110 workers were on overnight shift to meet Christmas demand was also flattened by the storm.

Elsewhere in Kentucky, Judge Brian Crick, a married dad-of-three has been named as among the around 70 people killed when the tornadoes struck.

The state’s chief justice John D. Minto confirmed his death in a statement.

“This is a shocking loss to his family, his community and the court system, and his family is in our prayers,” he said.

Judge Brian Crick was a dad-of-three. Picture: KY courts

Also among those killed is a three-year-old toddler who died when a tornado flattened his family home in Mayfield.

Neighbour Angela Wheeler described how she saw the boy’s family screaming for help from their levelled home.

She told WLWT5 her own home did not collapse, but twisted off its foundation, trapping the family in the basement before they eventually escaped through a window.

“Like everybody says, it was like a roar and it shifted the house where we were at and almost made us fall into the basement,” she said.

This article originally appeared in The US Sun and was reproduced with permission