Gov. Murphy: NJ Will Evaluate Nor'easter Response In North Jersey

MORRIS, NJ — After not declaring a state of emergency for last week's nor'easter, Gov. Phil Murphy has announced one for Tuesday night's storm. He also promised to re-evaluate his administration's response to the last storm.

"We take our cue from the Office of Emergency Management and we've been working morning noon and night since Friday," Murphy said during a Tuesday afternoon press conference. Efforts have already begun to lessen the effects of the storm. 207,000 tons of salt are available for salting roads, Murphy said, and brining efforts have been under way for northern and central New Jersey.

The state of emergency will begin at 8 p.m. on Tuesday and will affect the entire state, Murphy said. Snow is expected to start overnight on Tuesday and last through Wednesday. A decision on state offices being open has not been made yet.

Murphy came under fire from northern New Jersey lawmakers for failing to declare a state of emergency following Friday's nor'easter. That storm dumped 16 inches of snow on some parts of the state and, at its peak, left over 100,000 customers without power. As of Tuesday afternoon, more than 41,000 homes are still dark, and many will not have power throughout Tuesday and Wednesday's storm.

The decision to implement a state of emergency makes it easier for the state to use all its equipment and assist communities that are still suffering from last week's nor'easter. The state could ultimately restrict travel to emergency vehicles only.

"Too many folks (didn't get help), and this is quite frustrating, and we're pressing hard as heck on the utilities to resolve this, but too many folks remain without power," Murphy said. Officials have been meeting with service providers to address prolonged outages.

• Read More: Power Restoration Pushed To Thursday For Some Towns
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He acknowledged that residents in the northern half of the state were frustrated by the delay in power restoration, and promised a "postmortem" would be conducted to see how the storm could have been handled differently.

"This is very frustratingly sticky on the downside. Many folks are frustrated by that, and you can count me, as yours truly, on that list," he said.

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Murphy urged residents to use "smart, common sense" and to stay home while road crews are plowing. "Please do not venture out on the roads during the storm," Murphy said, citing the need to be cautious without panicking.

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