As Hurricane Florence barrels towards the Carolina coast, Pfizer will take precautionary measures, temporarily shutting down operations at its Hospira sterile injectables manufacturing facility in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. In response to predictions that Florence will hit land sometime Thursday evening or Friday morning, Pfizer has scheduled to shutdown the plant early Thursday.
As of late afternoon on Wednesday, Hurricane Florence was labeled a Category 3 storm, weakening somewhat as it approaches land. However, sustained winds of at least 125 mph and heavy rains still are expected, as well as significant infrastructure damage. Mandatory evacuations have been issued for a number of zones within the Carolinas.
“This is not going to be a glancing blow. This is going to be a Mike Tyson punch to the Carolina coast,” Federal Emergency Management Agency Associate Administrator Jeff Byard warned Wednesday morning.
Steven Danehy, director of media relations for Pfizer’s global essential pharmaceuticals wrote in an emailed statement, “Only essential emergency, utility, and monitoring personnel will be onsite during the storm. Pfizer has contingency plans in place to ensure the continuity of supply, and mitigate interruptions during natural disasters.”
