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San Gabriel Mission cleans up after Jesus statue smashed in windstorm
Workers remove a damaged statue of Jesus from the San Gabriel Mission Cemetery crucifix memorial.
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San Gabriel Mission cleans up after Jesus statue smashed in windstorm
San Gabriel Mission cleans up after Jesus statue smashed in windstorm
Crews at the historic San Gabriel Mission cemetery are cleaning up the mess left by last week’s windstorm. Workers Monday carried away a damaged statue of a crucified Jesus.
The powerful winds snapped a 70-foot eucalyptus tree that weighed thousands of pounds, causing it to smash into the large, historic crucifix memorial. The tree broke off both arms of the Jesus statue, leaving that metal sculpture hanging by the feet from the memorial.
Another statue of John the Beloved was also damaged. Staffers say they're amazed the sculpture of Mary is still standing.
It'll take all day for the crew members to clear away the heavy tree. They have to cut it up first.
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After that, the nonprofit mission will have to figure out how much it will cost to get those statues repaired and back up — likely thousands of dollars.
Over the weekend, dozens of volunteers showed up to help clear away branches and other debris in the area.
Correction: An earlier version of this story mistakenly referred to the damaged John the Beloved statue as a statue of John the Baptist.
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