AMERICA'S SWEETHEART REOPENS

Submitted by ub on

The Statue of Liberty will reopen to the public on July 4, months after Hurricane Sandy forced it to close down.

NYC was hit hard by Sandy just one day after the statue’s 126th birthday last November. Lady Liberty herself made it through the storm unscathed, but 75% of the 12-acre island the statue rests on was underwater. The storm surge flooded buildings and broke railings, docks, paving stones, electrical systems, sewage pumps and boilers. In total, Sandy wreaked about $59 million worth of destruction on Liberty Island and neighboring Ellis Island combined.

Her crown was shut down for a year during a $30 million and reopened one day before Sandy hit, but it was forced to close again.

Ellis Island and its museum celebrating the millions of immigrants suffered extensive damage and is still closed and officials have no timetable for when it might reopen. The island still lacks electricity, sewage systems and telephone lines, but its historical documents and artifacts survived the storm.

Lady Liberty was a gift from France in 1886 symbolizing friendship. She was dedicated on October 28, 1886, designated as a National Monument in 1924 and restored for her centennial on July 4, 1986.

http://www.nps.gov/stli/index.htm