Parts of Leu Gardens set to reopen following Hurricane Irma damage

ORLANDO, Fla. — Parts of Leu Gardens are set to reopen Sunday after volunteers spent more than three weeks cleaning damage from Hurricane Irma.

The 50-acre gardens have been closed since the hurricane ripped through Central Florida in early September.

Executive Director Robert Bowden took Channel 9's Mike Manzoni on a tour of the property, where volunteers were still clearing out debris.

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The Leu House Museum, a house built in 1888, had a tree come crashing through the roof during Hurricane Irma, which also damaged a pipe for the irrigation system.

A hickory tree that couldn’t withstand Irma’s winds is still lying on the ground.

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"This is one of the hardest woods of any North American tree and it treated it like a toothpick,” said Bowden.

In all, Irma destroyed or damaged 195 trees at Leu Gardens, according to Bowden, and the groundskeepers have yet to see the end of the effects the storm had on the gardens.

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"We'll continue to lose plants for some time as a result of Hurricane Irma,” said Bowden.

Bowden said he’s unsure if the Federal Emergency Management Agency will end up paying for any of the damage to the gardens.

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FEMA funds paid for 95 percent of the damage from Hurricane Charley in 2004.

Cox Media Group