The United States’ Interior Department has announced that the Statue of Liberty, which has been closed since Hurricane Sandy struck the region in October, will be re-opened to the public by July 4, which is also the Independence Day of US. According to Senator Charles Schumer, although the Liberty Island and the Statue had been hit hard by the devastating storm, they will be opened to the public in a much stronger form, adding that the Independence Day is a fitting date for the opening, the New York Post reports. Although the storm, which caused the loss of 400 jobs and hurt the city’s 100 million dollars-a year tourism trade related to the statue, did not damage the statue, it vented its fury on the infrastructure on Liberty Island, including the docks, the promenade and the structures surrounding the statue. The storm, which also damaged the electrical systems, wastewater treatment and security screening equipment, had also left an estimated 400 workers unemployed, which included concessionaires, security personnel and ferry workers transporting visitors to the island, the report further said. The report added that the statue attracts 3.7 million visitors a year and is credited with bringing in about 175 million dollars-a year in tourism dollars to the region while fueling 2,000 regional jobs. (ANI)
