Heavy flooding in South Carolina has led Intertape Polymer Group Inc. to temporarily close two of its facilities in the state.
The historic flooding, which dropped as much 20 inches of rain in areas, was termed a 1,000-year storm by state officials. The sun came out Oct. 6, but officials were worried about dams that had breached and rivers that had not crested.
At least 15 people died, and emergency actions are still being taken across the state.
"At this time it is premature to determine the extent of damage nor the period of time the facility will be down," said Greg Yull, IPG president and CEO, in a statement about the Columbia plant.
"We are just now beginning an assessment of the situation, a process that is being complicated by the damage to and accessibility of the area's road infrastructure. We believe that any damages incurred will be covered by insurance."
The company said that its new Blythewood facility has not been damaged, but that production has been stopped to ensure the safety of employees in commuting to work and dealing with any personal damages they may have suffered. The plant is expected to resume operations before the end of the week.
Intertape, which is co-headquartered in Montreal, and Sarasota, Fla., has operations in 16 locations, including 11 manufacturing facilities in North America.
The Department of Transportation listed on its website that 287 roads and 150 bridges were closed. A 74-mile stretch of I-95 the north-south highway from Washington to Florida, was shut down Oct. 4 and two days later was still not open.