<p class="c21"><strong>Superstorm Sandy whacked the U.S. East Coast last October, <a class="c6" href="http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2012/10/pictures/hurricane-sandy-pictures-floods-fire-snow-in-the-aftermath/">flooding cities, felling trees, and tearing apart buildings</a>. The storm knocked Lady Liberty when it charged over Liberty Island—the statue's 12-acre, oval home—<a class="c6" href="http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/03/130312-statue-of-liberty-sequester-hurricane-sandy/">causing nearly $59 million in damage</a>.</strong></p><p class="c21">Walkways around the Statue of Liberty (pictured) were among the structures damaged during the October 2012 storm. National Park Service workers from as far away as California and Alaska pitched in to help with repairs.</p><p class="c21">On Thursday, the Fourth of July holiday, National Liberty Island and its iconic statue are set to reopen to the public. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell and New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg will be among the officials attending the reopening ceremony on Liberty Island Thursday morning.</p><p class="c21"><em>—Jane J. Lee</em></p>