Three NC Department of Transportation employees from Wayne County were recognized with the N.C. Department of Transportation’s Extra Mile Award for rescuing trapped motorists during Hurricane Matthew. Transportation Secretary Nick Tennyson presented the award to Clifton Merritt, Roger Peeden and Luther Thompson at the Board of Transportation’s monthly meeting on Thursday in Raleigh.
The employees were involved in two separate rescues. First, on the afternoon of the storm, Merritt and Peeden rescued a woman whose car was stalled out in floodwaters. Later that night, Merritt and Thompson rescued another woman whose car was stranded on the side of the road in knee-high water.
‘I’m extremely proud of our team’s response to the storm, and am especially proud of these guys for their life-saving actions,” Division Engineer Tim Little said. “These situations also underscore the importance of not driving through standing water. If Clifton, Roger and Luther had not been where they were, these stories could have turned out very different.”
The Extra Mile Award recognizes department employees for significant contributions over and above normal job duties.
