Before this scenic, rustic Great Smoky Mountain refuge turned into a trap few residents saw coming, there were signs of Hurricane Helene’s unthinkable potential.

Hurricane Helene brought historic rainfall and flooding to western North Carolina last week, leaving dozens dead and catastrophic damage stretching across the state’s mountain towns. The devastation also reached the small town of Spruce Pine, which is home to the purest quartz on Earth.

Helene’s death count in North Carolina is by no means final. But Lau was one of dozens known to have been killed after the hurricane’s powerful remnants reached Western North Carolina, with more fatal tragedies yet to be reported or even discovered.