NEW YORK, Oct. 28 (UPI) -- New York's Ellis Island reopened to tourists Monday, nearly a year after Superstorm Sandy flooded the historic immigration depot, officials said.
The storm flooded the island in New York Harbor, and though the thousands of historic artifacts survived, they have been temporarily removed for preservation while workers continue to fix much of the damage, NY1 News reported Monday.
"All the buildings on the south side of Ellis over here, they all flooded," said Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island Superintendent Dave Luchsinger. "The basement of the main building flooded and that's where all our infrastructure is. That's where our telephone systems, our HVAC systems, our electrical systems, everything is in the basement."
Liberty Island, home to the Statue of Liberty, was also flooded during the storm. It reopened to tourists July 4.
