By james art
RICHARD CRAVER Winston-Salem Journal
Baxter International Inc.’s North Cove manufacturing facility. has suffered significant flood damage from the remnants of Hurricane Helena, the company said Tuesday.
The Marion campus is closed for production. It is Baxter’s largest manufacturing facility with more than 2,500 employees.
The production mainly includes the preparation of solutions for intravenous and peritoneal dialysis. Baxter is the largest American manufacturer of these solutions.
“Our hearts and thoughts are with everyone affected by Hurricane Helena,” said Jose Almeida, Baxter chairman, president and CEO.
“The safety of our employees, their families and the communities in which we operate remains our highest concern, and we are committed to helping ensure a reliable supply of products for patients.”
The company said it was “working around the clock in close coordination with local, state and federal officials to assess the extent of the damage and implement a plan to get the plant back on track as quickly as possible to help mitigate the disruption to patient supplies.”
“Recovery efforts are already underway, and we will spare no resources — human or financial — to resume production and help ensure patients and providers have the products they need,” Almeida said.
The damage occurred despite Baxter’s preparedness efforts, which included plans to evacuate workers, move products to higher ground or secure storage where possible.
However, the company said the heavy rain and storm had caused the dike to breach, causing water to seep into the site. Access bridges to the site are damaged.
The Baxter International Foundation has provided $1.5 million in donations to help address recovery needs, including providing additional funds to its Employee Disaster Relief Fund and matching employee donations $2 for $1 to the effort for help.
Baxter said the temporary closure of the Baxter plant is expected to “have a negative impact on the company’s financial results.”
“Once the company can more fully assess the damage, it will be in a better position to assess any expected impact and plans to provide an update in its third quarter earnings release.”
On Tuesday, the North Carolina Department of Employment Security listed McDowell County among 25 counties in northwestern and western North Carolina whose citizens have been declared eligible for federal disaster unemployment benefits.
The eligibility is a byproduct of the Biden administration’s declaration of a state of emergency in North Carolina.
The assistance covers individuals who are unemployed as a result of Hurricane Helena. Business owners and self-employed individuals affected by the storm may also qualify for benefits.
The benefits will be backdated to September 29 and can last up to 26 weeks.
The other counties along with NC Cherokee Indians are: Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Catawba, Clay, Cleveland, Gaston, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Lincoln, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Transylvania, Watauga, Wilkes and Yancey.
The department said additional counties may be added at a later date.
Eligible individuals have until Dec. 2 to apply for disaster unemployment assistance at des.nc.gov or the DUA hotline at 919-629-3857.
Individuals must first apply for state unemployment benefits. For those found to be ineligible for or have exhausted regular government benefits, they may be eligible to file a federal claim for disaster unemployment benefits.
Eligibility is determined each week, and people must continue to be out of work as a direct result of the disaster each week to receive unemployment benefits.