Statue of Liberty relit for first time after storm

17 hrs.

A. Pawlowski, NBC News contributor , NBC News

You still cant visit the Statue of Liberty in the aftermath of SuperstormSandy, but you will once again be able to see the beloved American icon shining bright after sunset in New York Harbor.

The storm knocked out power on Liberty Island, so Lady Liberty has been enveloped in darkness at night for almost two weeks now. But starting Friday, the statue will be re-lit by a temporary, generator-powered system donated to the National Park Foundation, the official charity of Americas national parks.

Musco Lighting, a company that specializes in lighting sports stadiums and arenas, is providing the equipment and services that will illuminate the statue, while the National Park Service evaluates the damage to the attractions permanent lighting system.

While we work to do everything necessary to reopen the statue and every other national park damaged by the hurricane, we are grateful to Musco and the National Park Foundation for turning the lights on Lady Liberty, another step forward in the recovery of this region, said National Park Service Director Jonathan B. Jarvis, in a statement.

The temporary fix consists of LED light fixtures, powered by small generators and mounted on portable structures that can be moved as needed during the restoration work.

Liberty Island was closed on Oct. 29 as the hurricane approached, and it never reopened after the storm caused considerable wind and water damage to the grounds.

There is now minimal power on the island and crews are on site cleaning up the debris, but its still unknown how much it will cost to return the attraction back to normal or when it will reopen to the public, said Linda Friar, a spokeswoman for the National Park Service Incident Management Team.

The group charged to help New York Harbor-area national parks after the stormnow includes 320 NPS employees from 38 states,the District of Columbia andPuerto Rico.

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Statue of Liberty relit for first time after storm