At least 157 people have died in six states as a result of the storm, and many are still unaccounted for. As Thursday began in the mountain towns of western North Carolina, it remained a challenge to get through washed-out roads and across crumbled bridges — meaning crews were still trying to reach remote areas devastated by Helene.

Two facilities that produce high-purity quartz essential in semiconductors, solar panels, and fiber-optics have been shut down.

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.