Christie tours state's destruction in State Police helicopter Watch video
EWING — In another day of marathon activity, Gov. Chris Christie took to the skies to survey the trail of destruction left behind by Hurricane Irene. And from the air, it appeared Irene for the most part had a soft touch.
Aboard a State Police helicopter, the governor flew over Cape May and Atlantic counties, right where the Category 1 hurricane entered the state and caused the most direct damage. Christie had ordered a mass evacuation of New Jersey's shore communities, moving 1 million people inland by Saturday evening.
The chopper flew south from State Police headquarters in Ewing toward Ocean City. Farmland appeared lightly flooded; residential areas largely unscathed. High school tracks and fields were mostly dry, too.
Flying along the coast on the way back, property damage seemed minimal. Atlantic City was mostly deserted, with emptied-out casino parking lots and only a trickle of foot traffic.
As he prepared the state for Irene, Christie said, he was especially mindful of the devastating toll Hurricane Katrina had on the Gulf Coast in 2005 partly because of a lack of planning.
"Watching those folks not having been evacuated, those school buses sitting unused, we all remember those images," Christie said. "And I did not want to leave resources on the table and leave people in the southern part of our state where they could end up losing their lives."
Despite reports of at least four deaths caused by the storm, Christie said he could only confirm one this evening, that of Celena Sylvestri, 20, of Quinton Township.
At a press briefing later in the day, Christie urged people to stay home Monday instead of going to work, since many roads are blocked off by water and debris. But the state will be open for business, he said, and he asked government workers to report for duty despite widespread road closures in the vicinity of Trenton.
Hetty Rosenstein, regional director for the Communications Workers of America, which represents most of the state's public employees, said she thinks the state should wait until Monday morning to asses the quality of the roads.
As of 7 p.m., 775,000 homes were without electricity, Christie said. Based on conversations with utility company executives, all power should be restored within five days at the latest.
State legislators and county officials said that timeline was worrisome.
"I think that's far too long for a storm they knew was going to be bad," said Brian Hughes, the Mercer County executive.
Staff writers Ginger Gibson and Susan K. Livio contributed to this report.
⇒ More Hurricane Irene coverage
⇒ Hurricane Irene rainfall map: Rain totals for towns across N.J.
