EDWARDSVILLE – On a Friday night at holiday time, some people went to parties or concerts and some people worked with their hands and backs under a flimsy roof at Amazon’s fulfillment center.
The tornado that ripped the roof apart robbed the walls of their support and when the walls fell, six Amazon workers died.
A similar collapse killed seven persons at Home Depot in Joplin, Mo., in 2011.
Both events involved “tilt up” construction, which raises reinforced concrete slabs as vertical panels and holds them rigid by attaching them to a roof.
Engineers who investigated Home Depot found it inefficient to design greater wind resistance, and instead they recommended effective storm shelters.
The International Code Council adopted that stance in 2014, stating that a shelter inside a host structure must be designed to resist the loads that would be generated if the surrounding structure collapsed.
The federal emergency management agency hasn’t taken that stance, and its standards apply only to homes and communities.
A tilt-up concrete association in Iowa has pushed for code requirements to no avail, according to its regulatory and technical manager James Baty.
Baty said he knew Amazon used the tilt up method at Edwardsville, but didn’t know anything else about the structure.
“Amazon is very private,” Baty said. “There is very little that is known about their structures but that’s not unique for that size.
“Our message that we try to advocate for is a combination of system design, an alert system including shelter management, and a shelter system.”
Amazon owner Jeff Bezos issued a statement on Saturday, but not before celebrating his success in sending customers into space.
“We’re heartbroken over the loss of our teammates there, and our thoughts and prayers are with their families and loved ones,” Bezos tweeted.
“All of Edwardsville should know that the Amazon team is committed to supporting them and will be by their side through this crisis.”
At 2 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 14, Edwardsville police chief Michael Fillback issued a statement that six died and one remained in a hospital.
According to Fillback, everyone reported to have been at the property was accounted for and he had no reports of missing individuals.
Fillback indicated that the fire department was working with Amazon representatives to transition the property back to their control.
He stated that there were no other deaths or injuries, but there was significant damage in some areas.
The city’s public works department plans to remove debris at locations in the Country Club neighborhood, and the city will assist residents of other areas with debris if possible, Fillback stated.
In the aftermath, the U.S. Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) said on Monday that it would investigate the warehouse roof collapse.
"OSHA has six months to complete its investigation, issue citations and propose monetary penalties if violations of workplace safety and or health regulations are found," OSHA spokesperson Scott Allen said in a statement.
Washington, D.C. civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump also announced on Monday that his firm will represent the family of DeAndre Morrow, one of six victims in the Edwardsville Amazon collapse.