Governor and State Leaders Honor Wake Electric Linemen for Hurricane Helene Response

Three Wake Electric linemen were honored yesterday, April 15, by North Carolina legislators and Governor Josh Stein as part of special recognition tied to Lineworker Appreciation Day, celebrated this year on April 14. The event also served to commend the mutual aid efforts following Hurricane Helene, when Wake Electric’s line crews answered the call to assist a sister co-op in the mountains of North Carolina.

Cory Lawrence, line superintendent; Steven Worley, crew leader; and Grayson Wilder, apprentice lineman II—who were among those deployed from Wake Electric during the hurricane recovery—met with state lawmakers outside the North Carolina Legislative Building alongside linemen from Duke Energy and Wake Forest Power. Legislators personally thanked the linemen for their hard work and took time to converse with them about key issues affecting utility workers across the state.

Following their visit to the legislative building, the linemen were welcomed at the Governor’s Mansion, where Governor Josh Stein personally thanked them for their service and participated in a photo opportunity to mark the occasion.

Governor Stein honored the assembled lineworkers by thanking them for their restoration efforts after Hurricane Helene, stating:

“People don’t realize how desperately they need power until it’s gone… I just couldn’t be more grateful for the hard work that you all did for the people [of western North Carolina]. I know that this is an opinion that is universally shared, the amount of people I heard talking about lineworkers and how ferocious you all were in attacking that work… I have incredible pride in you all, and I hope that you feel it yourselves, because you made a huge difference in people’s lives.”

Later that afternoon, the linemen were honored at the General Assembly and received special recognition for their restoration efforts during Helene from members of both the Senate and House of Representatives during session.

In the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Helene, Wake Electric dispatched a crew to assist sister cooperative Blue Ridge Energy with power restoration efforts in the mountains of North Carolina. To sustain the effort, a new team of six or seven linemen was rotated in each week over a three-week period. During the first week, Wake also sent a warehouseman to help manage equipment and supplies. In total, 21 Wake Electric employees participated in the mutual aid response.

The recognition comes as co-ops across North Carolina celebrated Lineworker Appreciation Day—a time to acknowledge the tireless work of the men and women who brave dangerous conditions to keep the lights on. These honors also underscore the vital role of mutual aid—a cooperative tradition that ensures no community faces disaster alone.