Hurricane Sandy was our worst nightmare realized. This monster storm packed as much energy as two World War II era atomic bombs, causing massive destruction, the likes of which had not been seen since the Long Island Express of 1938, a now legendary Category III hurricane. Trapped on an island jutting into the Atlantic Ocean, we were front and center when Sandy attacked with a vengeance. Thousands of homes were inundated with seawater and sewage. Hundreds were left uninhabitable. Two and a half years later, we continue to rebuild our tattered shoreline. In this series we will look in the coming months at the Governor’s Office of Storm Recovery’s ongoing effort to reconstruct worst-case homes, businesses and communities that Sandy ravaged on Oct. 29, 2012 — and the myriad issues that residents and officials face as they piece together our shredded infrastructure. At the same time, we will look at state and local officials’ efforts to reinforce Long Island in the hope that we might be able to withstand nature’s fury better when the next monster storm hits. —Scott Brinton, senior editor more

Facing pressure from state and local officials, New York Rising announced a major policy change on Thursday to part of its reimbursement formula that officials say has stalled the rebuilding process … more

After a meeting on March 11 with U.S. Sens. Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, of New York, and Bob Menendez and Cory Booker, of New Jersey, Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Craig Fugate announced that the agency had agreed to reopen and review every flood insurance claim — approximately 144,000 — filed in New York and New Jersey by victims of Hurricane Sandy, and not limit corrective action to just the 2,200 claims that are now in litigation. more

In his State of the County speech Wednesday night in East Meadow, Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano painted a bright picture of Nassau’s present and future, touting his administration’s efforts to attract young people and families to the county, spur growth in the private sector, downsize government and hold down taxes. more

St. Valentine’s Day is almost here, which means Cupid is sharpening his golden arrows and getting ready to prick someone with feelings of affection. Sure, it’s cheesy, overpriced and probably … more

Nassau County Comptroller George Maragos announced that 6,700 refund checks will be mailed, beginning late December through early January, to compensate homeowners whose tax assessments were not … more

As we ring in the New Year, let’s reflect on the important issues and challenges our state and county faced in 2014. I believe 2015 will be a good year . . . more

Once upon a time, the coming of Hanukkah and Christmas meant that friends and family would send me lots of gifts, and I would reciprocate. more

We had never seen a tempest the likes of Hurricane Sandy before, one so mammoth, so fierce, that it wiped out whole shoreline communities while leaving much of the rest of the Northeast in tatters, … more

In June, a proposal to strengthen Long Island’s waterways, starting with Mill River in Rockville Centre, was awarded millions of dollars in federal funding. The project, called Living with the … more