Sandy puts a damper on Halloween

NEW YORK, Oct. 31 (UPI) -- Gov. Chris Christie has signed an executive order postponing Halloween celebrations in New Jersey because of "unsafe conditions" resulting from megastorm Sandy.

"I've taken this action to minimize additional risks to lives and the public safety as we begin the process of rebuilding and recovering from Hurricane Sandy," Christie said Wednesday. "In too many communities in our state, the damage and losses from this storm are still being sorted out, and dangerous conditions abound even as our emergency management and response officials continue their work. As governor, it is my responsibility to use all available resources of the state government to protect against the emergency created by Hurricane Sandy -- postponing Halloween celebrations by five days is a commonsense and necessary step to accomplish that."

Sandy has also caused the cancellation of New York's Greenwich Village Halloween parade, officials said. For the first time in 39 years, a parade that attracts hundreds of thousands of tourists and about $90 million in visitor dollars won't take place, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Officials said police, sanitation and other workers have been redirected to aid storm recovery efforts.

The Park Slope Civil Council's Halloween Parade in Brooklyn was also canceled.

Model Heidi Klum decided to call off her celebrity-studded annual Halloween bash, tweeting she was postponing it until Christmas.

Before Sandy, analysts had projected consumers would shell out a record amount of money this Halloween.