The Prospect Park Zoo in Brooklyn, New York City is re-opening to the public on Saturday, May 25, after being closed for almost eight months due to extensive flood damage to its facilities and infrastructure.
The flooding occurred as a result of the extreme rain from Tropical Storm Ophelia which hit New York City on Sept. 29, 2023. The storm deluged the zoo with more than 7 inches of rain and run-off, affecting boilers, HVAC, electrical, and aquatic life support and other systems which were located in building basements and sub-basements.
Officials aid the basements took on up to 25 feet of water as storm sewers in the area reached full capacity. Throughout the flooding event, zoo staff provided uninterrupted care for all the animals.
Recovery costs to date are about $6.5 million. Full restoration costs, not including mitigation measures, are estimated to be more than $20 million.
In January, President Biden made federal disaster aid available in three counties including Brooklyn to those who sustained storm damage including the zoo.
“Our public spaces and exhibits will be fully re-opened even as we continue to repair infrastructure and plan for a full restoration,” said Craig Piper, vice president and director of City Zoos for the Wildlife Conservation Society.
Piper said that while this reopening is a major milestone, the zoo still a” long way to go” before it is fully restored. He said zoo management continues to work with the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) and other city, state, and federal agencies on full restoration and mitigation to prevent flooding from future storm events.
In addition to the storm in September 2023, Prospect Park Zoo suffered flood damage during storms Henri and Ida in recent years.
During the storm and temporary closure, officials said none of the more than 400 animals were affected. In addition, none of the staff at the zoo were laid off. While the zoo was closed to the public, staff continued to take care of the animals and facility.
Wildlife Conservation Society staff from the Bronx Zoo, Queens Zoo, Central Park Zoo and New York Aquarium have assisted the Prospect Park Zoo team throughout the recovery.
The 12-acre zoo is fully back on the electrical grid and the primary electrical room has been relocated from a basement to ground level. Emergency generators and fuel tanks employed since the storm have been removed from public pathways. Necessary repairs to exhibit buildings will be completed by the time of the reopening. The zoo remains on a temporary boiler system for heating as a new location for boilers, previously in a basement, is determined.
When the park re-opens, zoo guests will find some new animals including a pair of southern pudu, one of the world’s smallest species of deer; and a female Hamadryas baboon born during the closure on Oct. 18, 2023.
Source: Newswise.
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