LONG BEACH, N.Y. (AP) – The city of Long Beach, just outside New York City, appears to be making strides after suffering major flood damage during Superstorm Sandy in 2012. A record 4.3 million beach passes were sold last summer; businesses have reopened; and a new 24-hour emergency center has temporarily replaced a hospital closed in the wake of the storm. The local movie theater is also back in business after three years. City manager Jack Schnirman says estimating the number of the city’s 33,000 residents yet to fully recover is nearly impossible, because so many are at different stages. Building permits, certificates of occupancy and other barometers to gauge recovery are significantly higher than before Sandy. A consultant is studying the best way to proceed with replacing the Long Beach Medical Center, which had financial problems even before Sandy dealt it a death blow.
