Ellis Island To Reopen To The Public On Monday
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) - Almost a year to the day after superstorm Sandy submerged Ellis Island in water, the historic site where more than 12 million immigrants entered the U.S. is set to reopen to the public.
The National Park Service said the Ellis Island Immigration Museum will reopen on Monday.
Sandy brought water levels as high as 8 feet to the iconic former U.S. immigration entry point.
"We are delighted to be able to share Ellis Island's uniquely American story with the world once more," superintendent David Luchsinger said in a press release. "I can think of no better way to celebrate Lady Liberty's 127th birthday than to welcome visitors back to the place where those 'huddled masses yearning to breathe free' first came to our shores."
The Oct. 29 storm destroyed boilers and electrical systems. Ellis Island was without power for months after the storm swamped parts of New York City.
Documents, photographs and other artifacts survived the storm, but more than a million items had to be moved to climate-controlled storage facilities.
In March, the National Park Service said it was unlikely that Ellis Island would open this year.
Work will continue at least through the spring as new electrical, air conditioning and ventilation systems are installed, according to the National Park Service.
The neighboring Statue of Liberty reopened on July 4, only to be briefly shuttered again during the partial federal government shutdown.
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