A tense video making the rounds online appears to show workers at an Amazon facility in Oklahoma City ordering delivery drivers outside, then closing the doors on them as a tornado warning blared. In the clip, drivers seem to rush back toward the entrance looking for shelter while employees pull the doors shut and secure equipment as the wind kicks up, according to KFOR.
KFOR reviewed the footage and reported that several delivery drivers along with dozens of other staff were pushed out of the warehouse during the tornado warning. Amazon told KFOR the behavior shown "did not follow company policy" and said it has suspended the employees involved while it sorts out what happened. Local accounts put the facility near I-35 and I-240 and describe a scramble to lock down equipment as the storm closed in.
"The siren’s going off, so there’s a little bit of panic and it’s definitely windy," an anonymous Amazon Flex driver told KFOR. Another Flex driver said a worker yanked the door shut just as drivers tried to get inside for cover. The video and those interviews are now circulating widely on social media, fueling demands from local drivers and labor advocates for answers on who made the call and why.
Tornado warning and storm reports
The National Weather Service issued a tornado warning for parts of the Oklahoma City metro as storms swept across the area. Local reports said a confirmed tornado was spotted near Mustang and tracking toward the general area of the warehouse. The NWS office in Norman, which issues official warnings and storm reports for central Oklahoma, was pushing out alerts as county sirens sounded and workers said the weather rapidly deteriorated.
Context: Why it matters
The episode drops Amazon right back into a debate that flared after the December 2021 tornado that destroyed an Amazon distribution center in Edwardsville, Illinois, killing six people and triggering federal reviews of emergency procedures. Reporting from The Washington Post has detailed how fast-moving storms and the way big-box-style buildings are constructed can complicate plans for shelter, and regulators have been weighing whether current procedures and building codes really measure up.
Workers, advocates react
Current and former delivery drivers say the Oklahoma City video looks like more proof that in the chaos of severe weather, on-the-ground calls can end up putting freight and workflow ahead of human beings, especially for contractors who are not considered Amazon employees. Labor advocates interviewed by local outlets say they want clearer protocols that spell out drivers’ right to shelter indoors during tornado warnings, and some observers argue employers should routinely drill shelter-in-place plans that line up with official alerts.
What’s next
Amazon says it has opened an internal investigation and temporarily sidelined the workers seen in the video. Local drivers and safety advocates say they are watching to see whether that leads to any real enforcement or new rules. For now, the Oklahoma City incident is fueling a fresh wave of online outrage and could invite more questions from regulators and from inside the company as it reviews how a tornado warning turned into a viral safety fiasco.
