INDIANAPOLIS — From Lineman to Indiana Task Force 1, Hoosiers are stepping up to help those in need in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian.
“Today is the first day that we are trying to find the actual damage and find out where we need to start,” Matthew Burks said.
Burks has been a lineman for Duke Energy for the last six years and it’s a job that he may never quit.
“We have had a lot of wire that we needed to put up from trees that have fallen. Currently, right now we are driving from another transformer outage over here that probably has trees on lines again,” Burks said.
The Bloomington native and the father of four is in Tampa helping to restore power to those who went dark during the storm.
He isn't alone.
Susan Fife and her dog Batman are also Hoosiers who answered the call. They are a pair of more than 30 additional Indiana Task Force 1 members who are on their way to help sift through the damage.
“We train with the team every other weekend. Then we have our own separate training,” Fife said.
The task force has a team of K-9 search specialists. Dogs like Batman are used to finding missing people through scent.
“We train whenever we can to help her develop her skill at finding people, that’s the most important part,” Fife said.
At the end of the day for Burks and Fife, helping those in need is more than just a job — it’s a calling.
“I wanted to come down here so I could make sure that I could help get the lights on,” Burks said.
-
Faith community encourages members to get involved in Streets to Home Indy
Streets to Home Indy is in its first phase, which is focused on the highest-risk population. The goal is to house between 300 to 350 individuals currently facing homelessness by this summer.
Martin University Board of Trustees moves to liquidate assets
A representative from Martin University has told WRTV that the board has chosen to liquidate some of its assets, facing uncertainty about the school's future.
Indianapolis City-County Councilors look to draft new data center guidelines
After months of pushback, city-county councilors say they are preparing to more closely examine how these facilities are approved around Indianapolis.
Mild Indiana weather is keeping some New Year's resolutions on track
How are your New Year's resolutions going? If you made it a goal to get outdoors more or to be more active, the mild weather certainly doesn't seem to hurt.
