Statue Of Liberty To Cast Her Glow Again Tonight

Though it's only a temporary fix, the Statue of Liberty will cast her out-stretched glow once again Friday night as a bright beacon of hope to storm ravaged residents of New York and New Jersey as the recovery from the massive damages inflicted by Hurricane Sandy continues.

Thanks to a donation of equipment and services by Musco Lighting to the National Park Foundation, the official charity of America’s national parks, the Statue will be re-lit through temporary measures that will remain in place until a full assessment of the extent of the damage to the lighting system is complete and a permanent fix implemented.

“For 125 years the Statue of Liberty has been one of the world’s most enduring symbols of our nation and this great city,” said National Park Service Director Jonathan B. Jarvis. “While we work to do everything necessary to re-open 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.”

“It is the generosity and support of private citizens and organizations that can help our national parks when they need it most,” said Neil Mulholland, President and CEO of the National Park Foundation. “Through the years, Musco Lighting has demonstrated a continuous commitment to our country’s symbolic and special places. In a time of wide-spread rebuilding, their work to relight the Statue of Liberty will restore one of our nation’s most iconic monuments to its place of prominence.”

Working in cooperation with the National Park Foundation and the National Park Service, Musco developed a system of LED light fixtures powered by small generators and mounted on moveable structures that can be easily relocated as needed during the restoration work. The state-of-the-art LED lighting system will provide a more than 65 percent reduction in energy.

“During our visit to the Statue of Liberty on Monday, Superintendent David Luchsinger and National Park Service staff provided tremendous information and assistance to us that enabled our team to move this project forward so quickly,” said Joe Crookham, Musco Lighting's president.

This is not Musco’s first time supporting America’s national parks. Musco has provided in-kind services through the National Park Foundation to light the White House, the Washington Monument, the Flight 93 National Memorial and Big Bend National Park, among others.

Nearly 70 national parks sustained damage when Hurricane Sandy roared up the East Coast before making landfall on October 29 in southern New Jersey. Among those hardest hit were 15 parks located in the metropolitan New York area, where a response team comprised of more than 320 National Park Service employees from 101 national parks across the country are assisting in recovery efforts including providing assistance to National Park Service employees and their families impacted by the storm, damage assessments, emergency stabilization where needed, and beginning the clean-up of affected areas.

For the latest on NPS recovery efforts go visit the the Park Service's Hurricane Sandy Response Facebook Page.