Lineworkers Volunteer to Hike Through Miles of 'Rough Terrain' to Restore Power to Veterans Hospital After Helene

In the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, two lineworkers for an energy company spoke about the difficult but eventually successful task of restoring electrical power for a VA hospital in hard-hit western North Carolina. 

In a video shared to Facebook on Oct. 5 by Duke Energy, lineworker Matt Martinka and his apprentice, Nathan Curlee, hiked 1.5 miles through "rough terrain" to put in a temporary line for the Asheville VA Medical Center while the primary power infrastructure is being rebuilt. (Per a spokesperson for Duke Energy, the two men traveled "three total miles to the site and back.")

“I heard in the office that there’s a chance we can get the VA backfed and get the VA hospital back on,” Martinka recalled in the video.

The lineworker, who served in the Air Force, added that he comes from a long line of military members in his family — and that his son is a Marine. “So I said, ‘Hey, I want this,' ” he recalled. ‘I told my apprentice, 'Let’s get this on for the VA.’ "

In the same clip, Curlee recalled that he and Martinka found a way to hike in before climbing a pole to disconnect a span to “pretty much make it safe to energize that line to feed the VA.”

Martinka added that trying to find a place for the two of them to get in was the most difficult part of the job due to the flooding. “Up and down [the] terrain, I was covered with bushes to our chest. And then when we finally [got to] a flat, it was the washed-out area from the floods. So [with] every step, you’re almost losing your boots in the mud.”

“When we finally got there, it was kind of hard to climb because I had so much mud on my boots. But it was all worth it to get to the VA,” Martika continued. 

Curlee said he felt good about what he and his coworker were able to do for the hospital. “I feel like we in our own way gave back. I mean, them guys [veterans] have given so much. So in our own way, we gave it back to them.”

In a statement to PEOPLE, a spokesperson for Duke Energy said, "We are proud of Matt and Nathan for raising their hands to take on the important challenge of restoring the VA hospital in Asheville following the aftermath of Helene. Their dedication is commendable, as is the commitment shown by thousands of teammates and workers from other utilities who have continued to support our customers and communities."

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They added, "In the face of the extraordinary damage and destruction caused by Helene, our communities have shown exceptional resiliency. We appreciate the support we have received, and we will be with the communities we serve every step of the way as we work together to recover."

North Carolina was one of the hardest hit states following Hurricane Helene’s arrival in the southeastern portion of the United States late September. The death toll in the state has reached approximately 115, USA Today reported on Oct. 7. 

In a news release shared on Oct. 8, Duke Energy, which collectively serves the Carolinas, Florida, Indiana, Ohio, Tennessee and Kentucky, stated that it had brought back power for 2.6 million customers — including 1.2 million in South Carolina and 1.4 million in North Carolina — since Sept. 27. 

As of Oct. 15, over 12,000 customers in North Carolina are still without power, per PowerOutage.us.

Jason Hollifield, Duke Energy’s storm director for the Carolinas, said in a press statement at the time: “Sadly, Helene’s devastation is unlike anything we’ve ever experienced in the western parts of the Carolinas. While we continue our vital work to help restore power and work with stakeholders to rebuild communities, I want to pause to thank our customers.”

“We greatly appreciate the patience, support and kindness you’ve shown — and continue to show — toward the men and women who are still working around the clock to rebuild the grid and restore power,” he continued.