Christie On LBI: Nor’easter May Be Temporary Setback for Sandy Recovery

A nor’easter set to strike New Jersey Wednesday may cool the state’s post-Hurricane Sandy recovery efforts for a time, Gov. Chris Christie warned during a press conference at Long Beach Island Wednesday.

“We may take a setback in the next 24 hours. You need to be prepared for that,” Christie said.

Power outages may increase during the storm, which is set to bring a heavy, wet snow and wind gusts as high as 55 mph to the state.

However, the governor was hopeful the pause in recovery efforts would be brief. He noted 11,000 utility workers remain in the state and the clear weekend forecast would allow the recovery push to continue in earnest.

“I appreciate that we’re all tired,” Christie said. “I want to get things back to normal as quickly as possible.”

Questioned about President Barack Obama’s victory over Mitt Romney the night before, Christie dismissed critics who accused him of embracing the president during his post-Sandy visit to the state.

“I wouldn't call what I did an embrace of Barack Obama. I'm a guy who tells the truth all the time and if the president of the United States did a good job, I’m going to say he did a good job,” Christie said.

He was also quick to dismiss speculation of 2016 presidential run, saying that the life and death issues inherent with the back-to-back storms have made politics a minor focus for now.

“I've got a job to do in New Jersey. My future, whatever it is will take care of itself. I'm honored to be the governor of New Jersey,” he said.