Riding Out The Storm In Manahawkin

Tree grinders clattered, chainsaws rattled and bewildered residents stood in the streets near Hilliard Boulevard aghast at the damage done by a severe storm that swept through this morning.

"My daughter was home," said Patti Stewart, who lives on nearby Division Street with her husband Michael. "She said it was the most horrific thing she had ever seen. I actually told them to go to the basement."

The National Weather Service is still trying to determine if the storm - which hit the area with high winds and downpours - included a tornado, said Mitchell Gaines, a meteorologist in the NWS Mount Holly office.

George McKinney summed up the damage to his property in two words.

"It sucks," he said.

The winds torn down numerous trees on his property, some which landed on his Maxima and crushed the windshield, and another which totaled a friend's car.

The only occupant of McKinney's house when the storm hit was the family's French bulldog Marley. Marley said outside the garage, panting in the heat and watching work crews remove trees.

Side street entrances to Hilliard Boulevard were still closed to traffic as of 5 p.m.

Come back to Patch soon for more information on this developing story.