The National Park Service has moved treasures from the Ellis Island Immigration Museum in New York Harbor to a federal storage center due to the effects of Hurricane Sandy.
Oct. 29, the hurricane flooded Ellis Island and water filled the basement of the Immigration Museum, which houses the Great Hall where millions of immigrants started their lives in the United States.
Fortunately, the water didn’t touch the museum’s archive of records and immigrant artifacts, which were located elsewhere in the building. But it did knock out the island’s electricity, wreaking havoc on the museum’s carefully controlled climate and causing mold to grow on the artifacts and condensation to build up on walls.
You can learn more about the move and see photos and a video in this TribecaTribOnline article.
Both Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty (on nearby Liberty Island) remain closed. Park Service plans call for reopening, but a date is yet to be determined. You can get updates on the Statue of Liberty Hurricane Sandy Recovery page.