Christie confident in New Jersey’s storm prep

“Once you’ve been through it, you never forget it.”

Gov. Chris Christie already pulled New Jersey through the second-largest natural disaster in U.S. history. While he doesn’t expect “Sandy II” to hit us over the next few days, he wants residents to know he and his team are prepared for whatever Mother Nature has in store for the Garden State.

“This time, after what we went through with Sandy, we’re not only ready for the storm to come, but we’re also much more ready for the aftermath,” Christie said Thursday of Hurricane Joaquin. “We’re much better prepared for the worst…and we’re very hopeful we won’t get anywhere near that.”

Addressing the press in his outer office, Christie noted state officials are working off a unique protocol that was created in the wake of October 2012’s Superstorm Sandy. And members of Christie’s cabinet, who were in place for Sandy but have since moved on, have been notified by the governor that they may be needed “off the bench.”

Christie declared a state of emergency in response to adverse weather conditions to last over the next couple days.

“I can, unfortunately, now do this off the top of my head,” Christie said. “I’m better and I’m more ready, and I was pretty ready the last time.”

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