It's a no-win scenario in Syria

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We can only hope and pray that our intervention doesn’t trigger a wider regional conflict that we would be dragged further into.

Closer to home, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is developing plans that include the reconstruction of many of the dunes that were destroyed by Hurricane Sandy. An important part of the plan would be new requirements to elevate many oceanfront homes.

Nearly a year after the storm, the focus of the federal government has shifted from rebuilding to prevention. The Army Corps has come up with a $700 million plan to elevate more than 4,000 homes in flood-prone mainland communities off bays and inlets. It has not yet disclosed the specific locations designated for the restoration plan, but it appears that Nassau County’s hardest-hit areas are not included.

Areas such as Long Beach and my native Island Park were among those that were devastated. There are still homeless families in these two coastal towns, and they won’t be included in the restoration plan? This is an absolute shame, and makes no sense. Like most things, while this plan has many important and necessary features, the devil is in the details. Why are we being left out? Why aren’t our homes being raised by the federal government at no charge to the homeowners?

Hopefully, there will be an opportunity for Nassau’s citizens to be heard. I encourage you to reach out to local officials and put pressure on them to make sure the benefits being offered to Suffolk County residents are extended to us as well.

No plan of this magnitude can satisfy everyone, but the status quo is certainly not acceptable.

Al D’Amato, a former U.S. senator from New York, is the founder of Park Strategies LLC, a public policy and business development firm. Comments about this column? ADAmato@liherald.com.

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