Hurricane Irma mangled Florida’s national and state parks, turning places meant to be enjoyed into disaster zones that could take weeks or longer to reopen.
South Florida National Parks Trust Director Don Finefrock says the National Park Service has sent some 380 workers from 95 national parks to 15 parks in Irma’s path in Georgia, South Carolina, Florida and the Caribbean.
At Big Cypress National Preserve in eastern Collier County, crews are clearing downed trees along one road that had water too high to access for more than a week after the storm.
The Naples Daily News reports that another Southwest Florida park, the Gulf Coast Visitor Center at the Everglades City entrance to Everglades National Park, could be closed for months with the winter tourist season on its way.
Republished with permission of The Associated Press.
