Tornado damages Rivian electric vehicle plant in Illinois
A fast-forming tornado hit Rivian’s factory in Normal, Illinois, damaging the roof and wall and flooding parts of the assembly area, The Verge reported.
By James Whitfield · Staff Writer
2 min read
A tornado struck Rivian’s electric vehicle factory in Normal, Illinois, on April 17, tearing into the building as a severe storm moved across the region, The Verge reported. The damage raised immediate safety questions for company leaders, who had to determine whether anyone could enter the plant to inspect it.
The storm formed quickly over west central Illinois, according to The Verge. It began as a supercell, a high-intensity storm system, and later became a long line of thunderstorms as the evening went on.
Several brief tornadoes formed inside that line of storms, The Verge reported. One of them touched down at Rivian’s factory on the edge of Normal, a college town in Illinois.
The tornado knocked down one wall and ripped open part of the plant’s roof, according to The Verge. Video later sent to Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe showed a large opening in the roof while the facility sat without power.
Executives learned of the damage from afar and nearby
Bobby Dean Parker, Rivian’s vice president of manufacturing, was at home in Normal when someone from the factory called him about the situation, The Verge reported. Parker had been in the role for six months and had already experienced strong Midwestern storms, but he recognized from the call that this one was more serious.
Parker left for the plant while storm conditions continued, according to The Verge. The report did not say whether anyone at the factory was injured.
Scaringe was thousands of miles away at an event in Southern California when his phone began receiving multiple messages about the storm damage, The Verge reported. Early information was limited, and his immediate concerns included whether people were hurt and how severe the damage was.
According to The Verge, Scaringe hesitated to send workers inside before the company knew whether the building was structurally safe. A video sent to him later showed the scale of the roof damage.
Water entered the assembly area
The Verge reported that the tornado set off the plant’s sprinkler system. Water could be heard in the background of the video, and pits beneath the assembly line flooded.
With the electricity out, floodlights were used to illuminate the damaged area, according to The Verge. The report described a dark factory interior with visible wreckage and water rushing nearby.
The available account focused on the immediate aftermath inside and around the plant. The Verge did not provide details in the excerpt about production delays, repair timelines or the total cost of the damage.
This story draws on original reporting from The Verge.