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

A group of New York City firefighters and medics representing nearly 300 members of the city Fire Department who live in Long Beach announced their support for the city’s career firefighters at a … more

Almost two and a half years after Hurricane Sandy devastated the homes and lives of countless New York and New Jersey residents, many are still struggling to get back on their feet. more

As part of its effort to restructure emergency medical services in Long Beach, the city announced this week that it has partnered with South Nassau Communities Hospital to operate an additional … more

Hundreds of people crowded the sixth floor of City Hall on Monday, calling on representatives of South Nassau Communities Hospital and the state Department of Health to fully invest $154 million in … more

The city has entered into a $1.39 million contract with an architectural and landscaping firm to replace thousands of Hurricane Sandy-damage trees throughout Long Beach that were removed last … more

State Assemblyman Todd Kaminsky (D-Long Beach) and Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano announced last month a new database and information-sharing system to identify, track and clean up hundreds of … 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

South Nassau Communities Hospital released plans on Wednesday to build a two-story, 30,000-square-foot emergency department on the site of the former Long Beach Medical Center, almost two and a half … more