Linemen get superhero sendoff as they help with Helene recovery

As states continue to recover from Hurricane Helene, one little boy from LaBelle is making sure his dad, a lineman, is sent off feeling the love.

Waylon is five years old and was told about the storm that wreaked havoc on parts of Georgia, so when he was told his dad would be one of the people sent to offer them assistance, he wanted to do what he could to show his dad and the other local heroes how much their help means.

“Waylon, he was just so proud of his dad because I kept telling him and showing him some videos about what’s going on and explained to him, because he is only five of what, why they need daddy’s help,” said Heather Thomas who is engaged to Waylon’s dad. “He understood, and he said, I’m so proud of my dad right now.”

Thomas said when she found out her Fiancé was being sent to help the places that sent us help after Hurricane Ian, she knew she wanted to do something to make these linemen feel special.

“I wake up at 5:15 a.m. every morning, and I woke up, and I said, what way can I or what can I do to, you know, show him that I appreciate him? And I knew that they were going to be passing through LaBelle, and I sat there in the bed, and I said, I need to do something to be extra,” Thomas said.

Thomas said it didn’t take much to get Waylon on board with the plan; he went all out to make sure the sign was perfect.

“I explained to him, you know, about kindness and why we should do gestures like that, and he was so excited. We went to Walmart, and we sat there on the floor, and we bought the expo markers and the poster. He drew he drew the line trucks; he drew the power poles. All of that while we were writing our sign for his dad and the guys, and we actually waited on the side of the road for them for about two or three hours until they finally passed by, but we didn’t want to miss it,” Thomas said.

It’s a gesture that did not go unnoticed. You can tell from the linemen passing by honking their horns and the excitement Waylon’s dad felt to see his son out there.

“He loved it. He even told the guys because I said we’re going to be standing on the side of the road to wave y’all off, and he didn’t even know that there was going to be a sign, and he told all the guys, and they were like, ‘that’s so sweet.’ He reminded them, you know, my boy’s going to be out there. So, he had all the guys all hyped up, and they blew the horns for us, and he thought that was the best thing,” Thomas said.

Thomas said she’s happy to be giving love to those who love to help others.

“His sign we actually have taped in our living room window. It’s just something that, you know, teaches our boy that it doesn’t take much to do something so kind and so heartwarming for people that do so much for us and other people,” Thomas said.