NEW YORK CITY-Despite the heavy rain and 60-mile-per-hour winds, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has reported minimal damage at the 16-acre World Trade Center site after Tropical Storm Irene ripped through Lower Manhattan early Sunday. Throughout the duration of the storm, limited flooding occurred in the basement level of One World Trade Center and has since been pumped out with no significant damage, the Port says.

Port officials also say that all 225 newly-planted white swamp oak trees at the 9/11 Memorial were unharmed, and the memorial itself remains on-track for its September 11 opening day. “After all we have been through, there was no way we were going to let a hurricane get in the way of opening this Memorial on 9/11,” says Port Authority executive director Chris Ward, in a statement on Monday morning. The site’s reflecting pools inside the base of the original Twin Towers were also unharmed. “We remain fully on track for the opening and progress continues on every inch of the World Trade Center site. Thanks to all of the preparation and dedication by Port Authority staff, Memorial, state and local officials, today we will get back to work and get this site humming again.”

In preparation for the storm, port staff remained on-site throughout the weekend and shored up flood-prone areas with sand bags and concrete barriers. In addition, no damage was reported along 1 WTC’s glass fa