The Statue of Liberty is scheduled to reopen by July 4, about eight months after it was closed because of Superstorm Sandy.

U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar made the announcement Tuesday. The country celebrates Independence Day on July 4.

The statue in New York City's harbor was spared damage from the October storm, but Liberty Island, where the statue sits, was badly damaged. Buildings were flooded. The storm also destroyed boilers, sewage pumps and electrical systems.

Sandy came one day after the Statue of Liberty's 126th birthday and the reopening of its crown after a yearlong, $30 million upgrade.