Gov. Christie Claims “No Knowledge” of NJ Transit “Storm Plan” Prior to Sandy

Christie’s Claim Conflicts with His Responsibilities Under State of Emergency Delaration

Gov. Claims Inconsistent With DEP Commissioner Testimony

Gov. Is The Decider in Chain of Command Under NJ’s Emergency Operations Plan & Hazard Mitigation Plan

I’d like to start off by framing out how we operate in an emergency response point of view from the State. So, I’d like to take a few minutes to talk about that and then the scope of responsibilities DEP has, that fits into an overall comprehensive plan.

First off, the State operates during emergencies based on planning – significant planning that occurs at the state level.

Each department operates with its own plan and ties into an overall unified command which is operated and coordinated by  the State Police.

All the major decisions, critical decisions, are made by the Governor. […]

We do not operate in silos as an organization – we operate clearly together as a team.

The Cabinet members sit with the Governor, helping to inform him on those decisions.  ~~~ DEP Commissioner Bob Martin. Testimony to Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee. December 3, 2012 – watch it, begins at time 1 hour 47 minutes

A Bergen Record story today quotes Gov. Christie saying he had no knowledge of NJ Transit’s “storm plan” prior to Sandy:

Christie: No knowledge of NJ Transit’s hurricane plan before Sandy hit:

Governor Christie said Wednesday that he had no idea NJ Transit had a plan in place months before Superstorm Sandy hit last year that called for storing commuter trains in upland sites — which the transit agency didn’t do — resulting in more than $120 million in damage to locomotives and railcars that were left in low-lying yards in Kearny and Hoboken. […]

“I did not have a specific, personal knowledge of this plan before the storm and, as almost every department of government has a plan, I’m sure that the people of the state will not be shocked to know that I haven’t read every one of them,” Christie said. “So I didn’t know about it.”

I find this hard to believe. If true, it reveals gross negligence and incompetence.

The Governor is evading his fundamental responsibility under NJ law.

NJ’s overall framework for hazard mitigation and emergency planning and response was established 20 years ago, under Gov. Florio’s Executive Order #115.

That Order  created the State Hazard Mitigation Team (SHMT).  The SHMT is chaired by a representative of the Governor’s Office.   The Governor approves and supervises the implementation of the State Emergency Operations Plan. 

Governor Christie’s convenient “know nothing” posture directly contradicts his widespread perception as a hands on, take charge, competent leader in the response to Sandy.

More importantly, his statement conflicts with his legal powers and responsibilities and role under the following:

• his own State of Emergency Declaration, which states

• the NJ Hazard Mitigation Plan;

Updated Plan: Refers to the New Jersey State Hazard Mitigation Plan approved by FEMA and adopted by the Governor of the State on a three (3) year cycle. The original State Hazard Mitigation Plan was adopted in 2005 and subsequently updated in 2008 and 2011. The next scheduled Updated Plan is April 2014.

• the testimony of DEP Commissioner Bob Martin excerpted above regarding the Gov.’s role in emergency response.

If true, Governor Christie has revealed massive incompetence in his preparation for and response to Sandy.

NJ Transit operates what is defined as “critical infrastructure” under those plans – like water supply and sewer systems that also failed due to poor planning and preparation. Decisions about “critical infrastructure” are major decision made by the Governor.

How is it possible for the Governor of a highly developed and vulnerable coastal state – even in the wake of the major storm Irene – to have no knowledge of or involvement in planning for and responding to major storms, sea level rise, and climate change?

How could Gov. Christie have allowed the April 2012 Hazard Mitigation Plan Update to NOT consider climate change and lessons from recent disasters and major storms like Irene, see this:

Technical information on the four (4) most recent disasters and climate change issues are still being reviewed and are not included in this April 2012 NJ Hazard Plan update.  ~~~ NJ Hazard Mitigation Plan (April 2012)

If false, its just another lie to deflect responsibility and cover up his own incompetence.