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Christie seeks federal aid to mop up storm

TRENTON - Gov. Christie said Thursday that he had requested federal aid to help New Jersey respond to the storm that brought flooding and record snowfall late last month.

TRENTON - Gov. Christie said Thursday that he had requested federal aid to help New Jersey respond to the storm that brought flooding and record snowfall late last month.

In a statement, Christie said he had requested aid for 17 of New Jersey's 21 counties, including Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, and Cumberland. The storm was particularly damaging in Cape May County Shore towns.

"I have determined that this incident is of such severity and magnitude that an effective response is beyond the capabilities of the state and the affected county and local governments, and that federal assistance is necessary to supplement the efforts and available resources of state, county, and local governments and disaster relief organizations," Christie said.

His office said the storm had left up to 30 inches of snow in parts of the state and caused 270,000 power outages, as well as flooding from a storm surge. It caused $82.6 million in damage in the affected counties, the governor's office said.

Christie faced criticism when the storm hit in late January. While campaigning for the Republican presidential nomination in New Hampshire, he first said he would not come home to New Jersey for the weekend storm, then changed his mind.

When he returned to New Hampshire, a young woman at a town-hall meeting asked the governor why he was campaigning there while New Jersey was still cleaning up. She said relatives in New Jersey had reported flooding "all over the state."

"All over the state?" Christie responded with mock seriousness. "There's been one county that's flooded in the state; that was Cape May County."

He added, "I don't know what you expect me to do. You want me to go down there with a mop?"

Christie faced criticism over the remark and later played it down as a joke He withdrew from the race this week.

aseidman@phillynews.com

856-779-3846 @AndrewSeidman