It was just a month ago that Brooke Hiers left the state-issued emergency trailer where her family had lived after Hurricane Idalia slammed into her home on Florida's Gulf Coast in August of 2023.

A new development on Florida’s coast was designed to be as hurricane-proof as possible. So far, it’s working. Last Thursday, when Hurricane Helene hit the small town of Cortez, Florida—about four hours south of the eye of the storm—a storm surge filled the streets with waist-deep water near a new development.

Timelapse footage captured when Hurricane Helene landed as a Category 4 storm in Florida's Big Bend on Thursday, Sept. 26.

In disasters like these, the industrial damage can unfold over days, and residents may not hear about releases of toxic chemicals into the water or air until days or weeks later, if they find out at all.