In this episode of Scripps News Investigations, we reveal how FEMA assistance can be delayed for years after major storms, investigate the decline and pollution of operating coal mines in Appalachia, and track the dwindling money Flint, Michigan, needs for its water system.

Years of waiting for FEMA help

The 2024 hurricane season will likely go down in the record books as one of the costliest in US history.

Families living in the path of monster storms like Milton and Helene will work for months to rebuild their lives, and in many cases will rely on FEMA for help.

But a Scripps News investigation found that hundreds of thousands of families who have applied for FEMA assistance in recent years have been turned away. Many spent months or more waiting for answers.

Scripps News traveled to Florida this summer and found residents still reeling from a two-year-old storm.

Zombie mines

There was a time in this country when coal was king: it fueled America’s growth.

But as the nation now moves to cleaner energy sources, the coal industry is now collapsing. Its dramatic decline has created a crisis of so-called “zombie mines,” mining sites that have sat idle for years, in some cases releasing pollution into surrounding communities.

A Scripps News investigation found hundreds of these potential zombie mines in Appalachia.

Poisoned water

For more than a year, Scripps News Investigates has pulled back the curtain on Flint, Michigan’s struggle to recover from the deadly water crisis that put the city in national headlines years ago.

A Scripps News investigation found that Flint ran out of money to finish the job. Now the local government is scrambling to come up with millions of dollars for its water system, which the state of Michigan says still has significant deficiencies.