UNION BEACH, N.J. (AP) — Gov. Chris Christie said Tuesday the National Flood Insurance Program's handling of claims in New Jersey has been "a disgrace," complaining that the program has been far too slow to resolve claims from Superstorm Sandy, with 70 percent of cases unresolved three months after the disaster.

The governor said excessive paperwork, inadequate staffing, cumbersome audits and the threat of financial penalties to carriers and adjusters is interfering with the timely issuance of payments, prolonging the suffering of the thousands of New Jerseyans hurt by Sandy.

"I've been as patient as I'm going to be with the National Flood Insurance Program," Christie said. "They need to get more people into New Jersey, they need to get to work, they need to get to processing these things. People need to know how much money they're going to have."