Chris Christie Returns to Belmar 7 Weeks After Sandy

Gov. Chris Christie told a town hall audience in Belmar that the state still has "big problems and big challenges" to deal with seven weeks after Hurricane Sandy.

The governor is speaking to a capacity crowd of 500 people at the municipal building of a shore town that sustained heavy damages from wind and sea water brought ashore by the superstorm.

Christie recapped the mass power outages, wastewater challenges and gas shortages that plagued the state after the hurricane on Oct. 29.

Some 40 students of Belmar Elementary School are still displaced with no timeframe for being able to move back home.

This is the governor's first town hall meeting since the storm.

He walked along Ocean Avenue and consoled residents the day after the hurricane.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)