Plenty of homes and properties were hit hard during Hurricane Sandy, but one of the worst and saddest results of the storm damage occurred at the New York Aquarium, where a power outage meant that some of the containers holding wildlife could not be checked on for days and some of the collections were even lost to the storm. Now, the New York Aquarium has announced it will partially reopen on May 25.
While some fish were lost when Sandy hit, 80% of the creatures and exhibits in the collection were able to be saved. The partial re-opening is meant to show New Yorkers that the aquarium is on track and moving forward as well as to bring a little post-storm cheer back into the world. According to the NY Post, the reopening will include the bigger marine mammals, including the sea lions, the harbor seals, the otters, the penguins, and the walruses, as well as a variety of fish exhibits. The fish exhibits will include species from the Amazon, from Fiji, from Belize, and from the Great Lakes in East Africa.
The 14-acre property still has plenty of work to be done. In fact, the New York Aquarium is renovating and expanding some of the property, and is also taking steps to make certain that, should another flood occur thanks to a big storm or other reasons, the property will be fully protected from flood waters. It’s always tough to make things happen after a big disaster, but with some strong-minded individuals at the helm and plenty of support from the New York community and the country at large, the Coney Island location should be back to tip-top shape fairly soon.
Photo Credit@Shutterstock/ Aleksandr Kurganov
