For Statue of Liberty, a Lonely End to the Year

Adrees Latif/Reuters After the storm: the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island on Oct 31.

The Statue of Liberty, which was open to the public for just one day this year before Hurricane Sandy struck, will remain closed for at least the rest of the year, keeping tourists at a distance and putting hundreds of people out of work.

There is no projected date to reopen the statue or Liberty and Ellis Islands, according to the National Park Service. The decision led to the layoffs of 400 people who work on the islands or ferry visitors there, Crain's New York Business reported Monday.

The Park Service is preparing a report on the damage to the national monum ent complex, which had nearly 3.8 million visitors in 2011.

“As soon as we're able to make it safe, we'll reopen it for visitors,” said Mike Litterst, a Park Service spokesman.

The statue, a 126-year-old gift from France, had been closed the whole year for $30 million in renovations, but reopened, briefly, on Oct. 28, its dedication anniversary, which was the eve of the storm's arrival. The enduring symbol of freedom remained intact, but the islands' infrastructure sustained damage.

With business down, Statue Cruises, which ferries visitors to the islands, laid off 130 workers. The ferry service is still operating some harbor cruises past the island, said Michael Burke, Statue Cruises' vice president.

“We're hoping that the National Park Service will allow visitor access as early as possible, even if it's in a limited capacity,” Mr. Burke said.

About 100 people who provide security and other services on Lib erty and Ellis Islands were laid off.

The islands' souvenir and concessions vendor, Evelyn Hill, Inc.,  laid off 170 workers, and is now down to 3 employees, said the company's president, Bradford Hill. The company also lost hundreds of thousands of dollars in inventory, he said.

Evelyn Hill has operated at the Statue of Liberty for 81 years, dating back to the days when immigrants passed through Ellis Island to start new lives. The company will continue, Mr. Hill said.

“We've weathered World War II, the centennial and 9/11,” Mr. Hill said. “We'll certainly weather through this as well.”