New Jersey Halloween Postponed, Gov. Chris Christie Reschedules Holiday For Nov. 5

Halloween Postponed In New Jersey
EWING, NJ - OCTOBER 30: New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie updates members of the media on damage and recovery efforts related to Hurricane Sandy from the emergency operations center at State Police Headquarters on October 30, 2012 in Ewing, New Jersey. High winds and a massive storm surge caused major destruction to the Jersey Shore and throughout the Garden State. (Photo by Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images)
EWING, NJ - OCTOBER 30: New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie updates members of the media on damage and recovery efforts related to Hurricane Sandy from the emergency operations center at State Police Headquarters on October 30, 2012 in Ewing, New Jersey. High winds and a massive storm surge caused major destruction to the Jersey Shore and throughout the Garden State. (Photo by Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images)

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie on Wednesday signed an executive order postponing Halloween until Monday, Nov. 5.

In a statement, the governor said he made the decision "to minimize additional risks to lives and the public safety as we begin the process of rebuilding and recovering from Hurricane Sandy."

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New Jersey was among the states hardest hit by Hurricane Sandy. The storm was responsible for at least eight deaths there, according to the New Jersey Star-Ledger, and as of Wednesday morning, over 2 million people in the state were still without power.

"The level of devastation at the Jersey Shore is unthinkable," Christie said at a press conference on Tuesday, according to CNN.

"There are no words to describe what so many New Jersey residents experienced over the last 24 hours and what we will have to contend with over the coming days, weeks and months,” the governor added, The Wall Street Journal reports.

President Obama is scheduled to join Christie on Wednesday afternoon to visit some of the state's hardest-hit areas.

Full statement on Halloween from Gov. Christie's office:

"I've taken this action to minimize additional risks to lives and the public safety as we begin the process of rebuilding and recovering from Hurricane Sandy," said Governor Christie. "In too many communities in our state, the damage and losses from this storm are still being sorted out, and dangerous conditions abound even as our emergency management and response officials continue their work. As Governor, it is my responsibility to use all available resources of the state government to protect against the emergency created by Hurricane Sandy - postponing Halloween celebrations by five days is a commonsense and necessary step to accomplish that."

For more on how the storm affected New Jersey, read the report from The Huffington Post's Trymaine Lee and John Rudolf. Click here for live updates and the latest on the aftermath of Sandy.

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