Governor Christie Declares State Of Emergency In New Jersey

TRENTON, N.J. (CBS/AP) - Gov. Chris Christie declared Saturday a statewide state of emergency as a result of severe weather conditions including high winds, rain, snow, and mixed freezing precipitation.

The governor urged New Jerseyans to stay off of the roadways until conditions improve. According to authorities, the October storm has caused 60 incidents on roadways and 20 full road closures so far.

"As we move through the worst part of this storm, I am urging all New Jerseyans to avoid unnecessary risks in severe weather like this and stay off the roadways tonight, while also issuing a state of emergency to marshal all resources of government to effectively respond," Governor Christie said.

"With this declaration, we are taking immediate steps to ensure that state, local and county governments have every tool at their disposal to manage and respond to conditions on the ground, emergency operations plans are activated, and that every part of government is positioned to assist and protect the public through this storm."

Even the governor couldn't escape the October snowstorm. Gov. Christie lost power to his Mendham home about 4 p.m. Saturday afternoon and, like the half-million other residents in the state without power, was waiting at home for the utilities to come back on (see latest power outtage information).

He expects the number of outages to grow as the snow tapers off and winds pick up, blowing heavy branches with leaves still on them to break.
Christie said the storm arrived sooner and hit harder than expected, with northern counties possibly seeing up to 14 inches, but that the state was prepared.

(TM and © Copyright 2011 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2010 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)