The Deacon's Bench
Communities along the East Coast are still reeling from the effects of Superstorm Sandy, and now officials in storm-ravaged areas have postponed Halloween festivities and trick-or-treating.
Anticipating a long-term recovery effort, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie promised to reschedule Halloween if conditions do not improve by Wednesday evening.
“If conditions are not safe on Wednesday for trick or treating, I will sign an Executive Order rescheduling Halloween,” Christie tweeted Monday night.
The storm knocked out power to more than 2 million homes and businesses in the Garden State and stranded residents who ignored warnings to evacuate barrier islands.
Some municipalities in New Jersey aren’t waiting for an executive order to postpone Halloween events.
In coastal New Jersey, local fire officials postponed the Toms River Halloween parade, which attracts hundreds of people to the Ocean County township each year.
Ocean County Administrator Carl Block said officials in municipalities along the Jersey Shore have been too preoccupied by response efforts to even consider curfews for the holiday.
“We have not even addressed Halloween,” Block told Fox News. “We are still trying to restore power and get onto our barrier islands.”
Officials in at least eight cities and towns in New Jersey’s Gloucester County have postponed trick-or-treating to Nov. 3 according to the Star-Ledger.
South Harrison Mayor Jim McCall told the paper it would be “less stressful” to impose curfew on children younger than 18 for the night.
“It’s a really important holiday for the kids, but there’s going to be a lot of aftermath and cleanup and we don’t want trick or treaters on the road Wednesday,” McCall said.
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