Storm cleanup underway at 9/11 memorial park on Long Island

NEW YORK (FOX 5 NY) - Caution tape and a snapped telephone pole still lay in the grass nearly a week after a powerful storm wreaked havoc on the 9/11 Responders Remembered Memorial Park in Nesconsett. 

The storm caused an estimated $20,000 in damage, mostly to the landscape, however insurance did not cover the needed repairs.

Now, Park President Judi Simmons has made it her mission to make sure the repairs are made in time for a memorial reading of the names.

“The tree split, came down across the park, shattered the gazebo, took out power lines,” she said. “My husband passed away 11 years ago. His name is on the wall. I want these families to feel the same feeling I felt when my husbands name was on it. Having a half destroyed park isn't what they want to see.”

The wall, inscribed with the names of nearly 1,200 first responders, was miraculously untouched by the storm. The park is one of the few in the country that pays tribute to the men and women who passed away in the weeks, months and years after 9/11 from a related illness. 

After the work is done, World Trade Center steel will be the new focal point of the park and memorial benches will be installed for people to sit and remember. 

“We're doing it because this park means a lot to many people across the country,” said Billy Barry of Barry Bros Landscaping Design. “It's a very important memorial for everyone who is an American.”