Ellis Island is set to reopen on Monday after being closed due to damage sustained during Superstorm Sandy, according to the Associated Press. The island was badly damaged after being hit with swells of water that reached up to eight feet. Previously, the island hadn't been expected to reopen at all in 2013.
"We are delighted to be able to share Ellis Island's uniquely American story with the world once more," David Luchsinger, the Superintendent of Ellis Island, said in a statement.
The storm that hit the island on October 29, 2012 caused the boilers and electrical systems to be covered with water and the island lost power for months throughout all 27.5 acres.
The Ellis Island Immigration Museum, which is located within the main building on the island and provides a showcase for the millions of stories of immigrants coming to America and passing through Ellis Island on their way to begin new lives in the United States. The museum contains over a million documents, photographs and other artifacts documenting the immigration experience. The artifacts were all moved to a storage facility in Maryland before the storm to protect them due to the impossibility to maintain the climate-controlled environment required for their preservation.
While the artifacts were not damaged, they will temporarily remain in their new location. Because the work to upgrade the facility is still ongoing, there is currently no estimate as to when the artifacts will be returned to the museum.
"You're not going to see a complete restoration of Ellis Island for a while," John Warren, a spokesman for Ellis Island, told the Associated Press.
Part of the reason for this is that crews are working to remodel the site so that the island won't be so badly damaged the next time it's hit by a bad storm.
Ellis Island wasn't the only site to be closed recently, as Liberty Island, home of the Statue of Liberty was recently closed due to the government shutdown after just reopening on July 4th after recovering from its own damage sustained during Superstorm Sandy.
Documentary on immigration through Ellis Island.
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