Q: Has the Statue of Liberty ever suffered significant damage from a storm?
— Martha Hunt, Hoschton
A: The Statue of Liberty, which celebrated its 126th birthday on Sunday, has never suffered severe damage from storms or other weather events, historian Barry Moreno, who wrote "The Statue of Liberty Encyclopedia," told Accuweather.com. A blizzard blew snow through the statue's windows in 1888, which covered stairs, and its torch was extinguished by a summer storm in 1933. The statue was unscathed by the Great New England Hurricane in 1938 that killed between 700-800 people and caused $308 million in damage in New York and New England. The Statue of Liberty is struck by lightning several times a year and can sway up to 3 inches in wind. Its torch can move 6 inches in heavy wind, according to the National Park Service. The Statue of Liberty re-opened on Sunday after a year-long $30 million interior renovation, but was closed due to Hurricane Sandy on Monday and Tuesday. "She's been here for 126 years. She'll be here after this one," superintendent David Luchsinger told the New York Post.
Q: The new Georgia license plates have the county of the car owner in small print. I always enjoy reading Georgia county locations, particularly when traveling out of state, but these are tough to see. Will that be changed?
— Barbara Larkins, Atlanta
A: The Georgia Department of Revenue agreed that the county names were too small and is producing new plates that will "have the county name in bolder, larger letters," a spokesman told Q&A on the News in an email.
Andy Johnston wrote this column. Do you have a question about the news? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or email q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
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