Newark Mayor Cory Booker said Tuesday that the top priority of New Jersey officials in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy was making "sure everyone is safe and secure," but said there would also be an effort to find ways so residents are able to vote in next week's elections.
"[We] still have a few days to worry about that and I'm pretty confident all throughout the state of New Jersey, as we focus on what's most important, which is people's safety, security, restoration of power, I'm sure that as Election Day gets closer we're going to find ways to make sure that it's as functional as possible, people are able to vote," Booker told CNN.
The Newark mayor and top Obama surrogate said he had been speaking regularly both to the president and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie in the aftermath of the storm, and that rescue efforts under way Tuesday would target the sick and elderly most in need of immediate assistance.
"Everybody knows the urgency. Everybody knows, especially when you have dense populations, and a lot of people are really reliant for medical reasons on power, that you get a sense of urgency to get this done," Booker said. "I don't have any more specific updates, I just do know that everybody from the federal, state, local level, that's one of the major missions today."
Booker also emphasized that it was important to stay home, noting "tremendous storm damage" throughout the city and state.
"There are many, many hazards in the streets, many downed power lines," Booker said. "So many flooded areas, and people [are] still principally important and we're asking people to stay home, to stay out of the way so power crews, emergency responders, and others can get their work done."
