The Statue of Liberty opened to visitors today after damaged caused by Superstorm Sandy were repaired.
New York’s mayor and federal officials held a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 8:30 a.m. this morning. The line of people waiting at Battery Park to take the trip to the Statue of Liberty was several blocks long this morning. The first visitors arrived on the island at 9 a.m.
"It is hard to imagine a more appropriate or powerful way to commemorate our nation's founding than to reopen the Statue of Liberty, which is a symbol throughout the world of the freedom America cherishes," Sally Jewell told CNN .
The statue itself was not damaged in the storm, but parts of the island were badly damaged. Superstorm Sandy flooded buildings, tore up paving stones, and smashed railings. National Park Service workers from across the country spent several weeks just cleaning the mess.
"It's perfect timing for it to reopen. It's really a symbol for what the country is all about," Rodney Long told the Associated Press .
Nearby Ellis Island was badly damaged during the storm as well. Ellis Island remains closed because repairs are not complete.
By featherboa (Flickr) [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0) or Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons