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.

Through the windows of the Market Place Restaurant in downtown Asheville, N.C., chef and owner William Dissen has only a partial view of the disaster left in Hurricane Helene’s wake. There’s debris everywhere,