Statue of Liberty Lit Up for First Time Since Superstorm

The Statue of Liberty is illuminated for the first time since Sandy struck but New Yorkers still have power outages and gas rationing.

Published

6 months ago

Categories

US

Topics

United States

People

Michael Bloomberg

Places

United States of America, New York City, New York

Tags

gas rationing, statue of liberty

Transcript

A sight few New Yorkers thought they'd ever see - long petrol queues after the imposition of emergency rationing. Mayor Michael Bloomberg ordered the move after a severe shortage following Superstorm Sandy. Motorists can now only fill up on alternate days based on whether their vehicle licence plate ends in an odd or even number. The move has not gone down well with everyone - with some New Yorkers being typically forthright. (SOUNDBITE) (English) MARIA PEREZ, NEW YORK RESIDENT, SAYING: "I think it should be odd in the morning and even in the night. It shouldn't be all day odd or all day even. They should give it half and half." There was more misery on Long Island where more than 160,000 people are still in the dark - after the storm. Many accuse the Long Island Power Authority of not doing enough to get their lights back on. (SOUNDBITE) (English) BARBARA STEINBERG, LONG ISLAND RESIDENT, SAYING: "They hang up on you. They don't answer it. I called LIPA (Long Island Power Authority). They said we can't do anything for you. You have to get an inspector. Can't get an inspector. This is the worst thing in my life. I've never had anything like this. It's horrible." But there was some good news for the beleaguered city as its most famous landmark lit up for the first time since the storm. The Statue of Liberty's lamp had been damaged by Sandy but Lady Liberty's torch is now being powered by a generator donated to the National Park Foundation.