![]() "It's just a matter of working through as quickly as we can," he says. Salazar says the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island may reopen in phases as repairs are completed. Add in the damage at other nearby national parks, such as Gateway National Recreation Area and Fire Island National Seashore, and the total rises to more than $200 million. The National Park Service says these two islands alone will need $59 million worth of repairs. On nearby Ellis Island, historical artifacts and exhibits survived the storm intact, but underground flooding destroyed a lot of the island's infrastructure, including heating and electrical systems. ![]() Docks and buildings will need to be repaired or replaced. But across Liberty Island, paving stones are missing and large chunks of fence are washed away. The statue itself escaped the storm unscathed. "You folks would not have been able to walk around here the first couple weeks," Luchsinger says. David Luchsinger, superintendent of the Statue of Liberty National Monument, led the secretary on a walking tour. On Thursday, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar made his first visit to the Statue of Liberty since the storm. Flood damage inflicted by the storm has closed Liberty Island and nearby Ellis Island indefinitely. ![]() The Statue of Liberty still lifts her lamp beside the golden door, but the island that's home to the iconic statue was severely tempest-tost by Superstorm Sandy. ![]()
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