Gov. Chris Christie decreed on national TV this morning that the flood damage in South Jersey is a mirage.

"There is no residual damage, there is no flooding damage," the governor snarled when a reporter asked why he was back in New Hampshire so soon.

As the governor spoke, the mayor of North Wildwood, Patrick Rosenello, was rushing around town Monday morning trying to clean up the mess that doesn't exist.

"We had between four and five feet of water in the downtown," he says. "Our entire dune system was compromised, and we had a big breach on 3rd Avenue. We had whitecaps and ice floes right through town. It was surreal.

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Tom Moran may be reached at tmoran@starledger.com or call (973) 836-4909. Follow him on Twitter @tomamoran. Find NJ.com Opinion on Facebook.