With roads blocked and destruction all around, App Off-Road Club became a lifeline for the local community, clearing debris, delivering supplies and navigating difficult terrain in the wake of Hurricane Helene.
Hurricane Helene made landfall in September 2024, causing major damage across Western North Carolina. Emergency crews were stretched thin across the region, and many people remained stranded and cut off from vital supplies and resources. App Off-Road Club took it upon themselves to venture into the storm to deliver essential supplies to areas that were inaccessible.
“We reached out on Facebook and asked, ‘Who needs our help?’ We started driving and delivering supplies,” said Trey Carlton, president of App Off-Road Club. “About a week or two after the devastation, my professor, Dr. Laura Brewer, who is in the Department of Marketing and Supply Chain Management, had 16 downed trees on her property. So, we figured out a time and worked all day cutting trees.” Trey Carlton is a Junior and is studying Computer information systems with a focus in cybersecurity.
The club brought chainsaws and other heavy equipment and cleared most of the downed trees. With all members having some variation of a 4×4 vehicle, they were able to easily navigate the difficult terrain and use various recovery tools to handle the issues at hand.
App Off-Road Club held its first meeting on Nov. 5, 2023. The club started with a group of friends who shared a passion for off-roading and the outdoors. As time went on, the club grew to dozens of members who shared the same passion.
“We made a big group chat and then we were like, ‘Hey, let’s all meet.’ We had maybe six or so of the 25 show up to the first meeting, and we were like, ‘Hey, let’s launch a club,’’ said sophomore exercise science major Thomas Sinn.
App Off-Road Club is chartered through App State. The club offers off-road adventures, camping trips, cruises and get-togethers every month.
“Last semester, we had Hurricane Helene happen and it was devastating. The semester before, we officially became a club,” said Brandon Beane, social media and public relations officer of App Offroad Club. “We had a lot planned and were excited for the semester, but the hurricane struck right before our first camping trip, disrupting everything.”
After returning to Boone, members of the App Offroad Club, despite being unable to go on trips or participate in other club events, still wanted to help the community.
App Offroad Club encourages students to hang out and attend meetings. The club is open to new members and provides information on off-roading, recovery methods and vehicle knowledge to help members navigate off-trail.
For more information on joining, students can message the club directly on Instagram to learn about upcoming meetings, trips, and off-road events.
