Businesses were closed in the immediate aftermath, but city officials said businesses can now access the site from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m.
Businesses Navigate Recovery Amid Cleanup Weeks After UPS Plane Crash
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LOUISVILLE, Ky. — More than a month has passed since the tragic UPS plane crash in Louisville that killed 14 people and injured several others.
Businesses closed immediately after the crash, but city officials said they can now access the site between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m. Roadblocks remain in place, and employees working overnight must show identification to enter the area.
Cleanup efforts continue behind police barriers nearly six weeks after the crash. Among the victims were three employees and eight customers connected to Grade A Recycling, a business located near the crash site.
For owner Sean Garber, the moments surrounding the crash remain clear.
“It feels like it was forever when we were just running our business,” Garber said. “It’s about five o’clock right now, and it was one of our busiest times of the day. As we know, the plane crashed around 5:15, and our customers were still here.”
As the community continues to grieve, Garber said he understands the need for nearby businesses to return to work and support their families.
“If we can mitigate the pain and the suffering to us and allow others to get back and do what they need to do, that’s what we should do,” he said.
Louisville Metro Government has allowed businesses to operate beyond the police blockade during overnight hours. Officials initially permitted access from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m., but expanded those hours starting last Monday, allowing employees to enter as early as 7 p.m.
Garber said the extended hours offer little help to his business.
“Those hours don’t help our business,” he said. “The recycling piece of our business is destroyed. So even if we had access to it, there’s nothing for us to do.”
While some employees have returned for overnight shifts and a small sense of normalcy has returned to the industrial area, the grief from the tragedy continues. Those affected said they do not want the victims to be forgotten.
Louisville Metro 911 received 1,422 calls during the first three hours after the plane crash. That total includes every call, whether related to the crash, a non-emergency, or a different emergency.
City officials said 173 of those calls were directly related to the crash.
During the same three-hour period the week before the crash on Oct. 28, Louisville Metro 911 handled 595 total calls.
The Community Resource Center opened nine days after the crash and closed on Friday, Dec. 12. City officials said the Small Business Administration was in Louisville from Nov. 21 to Dec. 18.
Anyone who still needs community resources can find a list of them here.
City officials said more than 300 people visited the community center in the aftermath of the crash.
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