Amazon Workers Speak Against Phone Ban After Several Colleagues Die of Deadly Tornadoes in Illinois

The sister of a Navy veteran killed when tornadoes ripped through an Amazon warehouse in Illinois is enraged that the company did not do more to safeguard its workers. Meanwhile, images show a lavish party was held this weekend at Jeff Bezos's Beverly Hills residence in the aftermath of the tragedy.

Clayton Cope, 29, was one of six Amazon employees reported killed Saturday after a string of tornadoes ripped off the top of a warehouse outside St. Louis, leaving 11-inch thick concrete walls longer than football fields to collapse on itself.

6 workers killed after tornado hits Amazon warehouse

Rachel Cope, his sister, expressed her displeasure that Amazon would not enable its employees to travel to an emergency shelter after the first alarm sounded. Austin J. McEwen, a 26-year-old Amazon freight driver, was also killed while attempting to seek refuge during the storm, Daily Mail reported.

Deandre 'Shawn' Morrow, 28, of St. Louis, Missouri; Etheria S. Hebb, 24, of St. Louis, Missouri; Kevin D. Dickey, 62, of Carlyle, Illinois; and Larry E. Virden, 46, of Collinsville, Illinois, were identified as deceased by the local coroner. Meanwhile, numerous warehouse workers have expressed concern that Amazon's contentious mobile phone ban, which was briefly suspended during the pandemic, may threaten safety.

Their fears were heightened when the Edwardsville employees were killed by a tornado. In the aftermath of the catastrophe, blue-collar employees expressed concern that tightening the mobile phone ban would prevent them from monitoring weather alerts or asking for help during emergencies.

Amazon's share of online sales regularly grows nearly every day as Christmas approaches, as buyers flock to the e-commerce giant to rapidly deliver products. To do this, Amazon adds hundreds of thousands of more people, including full-time employees and contractors, and operates at maximum capacity.

Alonzo Harris, one of them, drove his cargo truck into Amazon's delivery center in Edwardsville, Illinois, after 8 p.m. on Friday, following a busy day of delivering parcels north of St. Louis. An alarm went off on his work phone. Someone cried, "This is not a drill!" Mr. Harris, 44, went inside an Amazon shelter after hearing a loud roar.

Death toll likely to pass 100

"It seemed like the floor was falling off. I could feel the wind blowing and see debris flying everywhere, and people started screaming and yelling, and the lights went out," he claimed, as per NY Times.

One of the tornadoes that ripped across Kentucky, Arkansas, Illinois, and other states on Friday slammed into Amazon's delivery facility in Edwardsville. According to Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, the death toll was six, with 45 individuals surviving.

The death toll from a series of tornadoes that ripped across five states climbed on Sunday, as mournful rescuers combed through the debris of broken houses and neighborhoods, looking for survivors and remains.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, more than 30 tornadoes were confirmed late Friday and early Saturday. Kentucky was the most affected, with 50 confirmed fatalities early Sunday while dozens more were missing and thought dead when a tornado ripped through a candle factory, killing more than 100 workers.

A tornado slammed into an Amazon warehouse north of St. Louis, killing at least six people in Illinois. Tennessee had four verified deaths, with Arkansas and Missouri each having two.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear claimed on Sunday that more than 100 individuals died in his state alone, including at least two of his family members. Twisters leveled entire communities, he claimed. Emergency personnel went door-to-door seeking for survivors although "there aren't doors" in some cases, he added, USA Today reported.