Governor Murphy told NBC’s TODAY Show on Friday that New Jersey “declared a State of Emergency before anybody else in our neighborhood.” The Republicans hoping to replace his administration in January pushed back against this narrative on Monday, calling for a legislative probe into the Democrat administration’s latest botched storm response.
“Here are the facts: after Pennsylvania’s Emergency Management Agency had tracked the storm for several days, Democratic Governor Tom Wolf declared a state of emergency at 9:05 on the morning of Wednesday, September 1 – hours before the storm arrived. That proactive, advanced planning prompted Pennsylvania to mobilize first responders and to close campsites, parks, and roads in advance of the storm. Through his actions, Governor Wolf strongly conveyed a sense of urgency and seriousness that this storm clearly warranted,” said Jack Ciattarelli, the GOP nominee for governor.
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Ciattarelli and his running mate, former State Senator Diane Allen pointed, also cited the fact that heavy rains and tornados were already occurring in the Garden State several hours before Murphy declared an emergency.
“What was Governor Murphy and his administration doing during this time? Why did he wait another 13 hours after Pennsylvania acted to declare a state of emergency in New Jersey?” added Ciattarelli. “More than two dozen people died, potentially because some of them weren’t aware of the seriousness of the approaching storm. It is incumbent upon the legislature to investigate what happened behind the scenes and why Governor Murphy was so slow to act.”
“This is not the first time we’ve seen inconsistent and disorganized planning around a storm from this Administration,” Allen added, citing the infamous November 2018 storm that left thousands stranded for hours on New Jersey’s highways due to a complete lack of preparation by the Murphy Administration. “The bottom line is what was he doing during those thirteen hours when he could have moved to save lives and property. What was he thinking?” said Allen. “There must be an investigation.”
Murphy will tour storm damage in Somerset County with President Biden on Tuesday.
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