Granger - Crisis Nutrition: A Student's Career Path Forged by Hurricane Helene
Story
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Title
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Granger - Crisis Nutrition: A Student's Career Path Forged by Hurricane Helene
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Description
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Granger, a dietetics and nutrition major at Appalachian State University, comes from a family with deep roots in the region—his lineage extends to Spruce Pine on his grandfather's side, while his mother and aunt both attended App State, daughters of Marion Swan, a Methodist preacher in Boone. During Hurricane Helene, Granger was in Elkstone Hall and vividly remembers a tree falling perpendicular to their building, miraculously slanting into the field instead of hitting the northern side and preventing injuries. He watched floodwater rise higher and higher in the nearby creek until it cut off their exit, trapping them in that section of campus. As a dietetics major, he had prepared extensively, stocking up on pasta, pizza, salad, yogurt, and filling every water jug and gallon in his dorm, planning his food so carefully that he had leftovers after the storm. He was among the 6,000 students who evacuated, returning October 17th when classes resumed to find everything coated in dust and eerily quiet with so few people there.
The hurricane profoundly shaped Granger's career aspirations. While already interested in nutrition for underserved populations, he became laser-focused on crisis nutrition after witnessing the three back-to-back lines at dining halls and worrying about everyone being strapped for time and needing food. He now wants to work in areas of severe weather impact, war zones, epidemics, and crop failures, bringing food and medicine to those in need. His vision extends beyond typical disaster food like jerky and salty MREs—he wants to develop nutritious food that can be brought into disaster areas without damaging people's systems, and help develop crops that can withstand hurricanes. His grandfather's house in Spruce Pine (one of the hardest-hit areas) narrowly escaped damage when water climbed 50 feet up the gully, stopping just three feet from the house without even hitting the basement. Granger was inspired by the camaraderie he witnessed—people who didn't know each other and haven't talked since putting aside differences to share meals and transport water and canned food, reminding him that humanity can endure and work together to make the world better, even as these storms become more frequent.
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