In New Jersey, even the governor couldn’t escape the October snowstorm.

Gov. Chris Christie lost power to his Mendham home about 4 p.m. Saturday afternoon and, like the half-million other residents in the state without power, was waiting at home for the utilities to come back on.

The storm spurred Christie to declare a statewide state of emergency Saturday night. He expects the number of outages to grow as the snow tapers off and winds pick up, blowing heavy branches with leaves still on them to break.

Gov. Christie told NBC New York that the hardest-hit parts of the state were in the northern part of the state, including Sussex, Essex, Morris, and Bergen Counties. He urged residents to stay off the roads, which will allow power companies to restore power much quicker.

“If you have power count your blessings,” he told NBC New York. “and if you don’t, find a place to stay warm.”

Christie said the storm arrived sooner and hit harder than expected, with northern counties possibly seeing up to 14 inches, but that the state was prepared.

The governor said there were 25 fully closed roads in the state and another 60 partial closures.

(Source: NBC New York)