RALEIGH, N.C. (WBTV) – Five North Carolina Department of Transportation employees and a state trooper received the Governor’s Award for Excellence for their actions to save lives on Interstate 40 in the Pigeon River Gorge during Hurricane Helene.
The Governor’s Award for Excellence is the highest honor a state employee may receive for service to North Carolina and its residents. It recognizes state employees for their outstanding accomplishments beyond their normal duties.
“These employees used their training and followed exactly what their natural instincts instructed them to do — help those around them by any means possible,” NCDOT Secretary Daniel Johnson said. “Their courageous actions in a chaotic moment prevented what could have been a catastrophe.”
Award recipients
The employees honored during a Nov. 19 ceremony at the State Archives of North Carolina in Raleigh are:
- Scottie Coggins, Division 14 Assistant Roadside Environmental engineer
- David Hall, Division 14 Roadside Environmental Transportation Supervisor
- Sgt. Joe Henderson with the State Highway Patrol
- Garett McFalls, Western North Carolina Incident Management Assistance Patrol senior responder
- Austin Phillips, Division 14 Roadside Environmental engineer
- Christopher Strader, Western North Carolina IMAP senior responder
A video featuring their actions was played during the ceremony.
Interstate collapse during Hurricane Helene
On Sept. 28, 2024, the employees rushed to I-40 in the gorge as rain from Helene swelled the Pigeon River to the point where chunks of the eastbound lanes of the interstate had started falling into the river. First the embankment, then the shoulder, and then asphalt disappeared, leaving craters where the road used to be…