 An ariel shot reveals damage in New Jersey Shore from Superstorm Sandy on Tuesday. By Jeff Black, NBC News New Jersey's Shore, the East Coast's summer playground famous for its amusement parks, fine white sand beaches, family vacation cottages and even a reality TV show, could be among areas hardest hit by Superstorm Sandy. On Tuesday, stark images of leveled homes, shredded boardwalks , boats tossed blocks inland and acres of sand hurled hundreds of yards from the coast began to emerge. Aerial video on Thursday from state police via NBC's News10 in Philadelphia showed homes splintered apart and others surrounded by floodwaters. Watch aerials from the New Jersey State Police of the devastation from Sandy along the New Jersey Shore. Raw video. In footage from a New Jersey National Guard helicopter, beach homes along Seaside Heights were strewn about at odd angles off their foundations, debris was on fire and roads were inundated with sand. One reader commented on Facebook that it looked like Normandy Beach, site of the allied forces landing in France during World War II. "There are boats in the street five blocks from the ocean," evacuee Peter Sandomeno, one of the owners of the Broadway Court Motel in Point Pleasant Beach, told the Associated Press. "That's the worst storm I've ever seen, and I've been there for 11 years." A dune constructed to protect Point Pleasant Beach was blown away by the storm surge, sending sand far inland, NBC's Ron Mott reported. Reporting from Point Pleasant Beach, New Jersey, NBC's Ron Allen reports that the sand dunes designed to help protect the town were spread far and wide once floodwaters hit. The deadly storm, which hit the Atlantic City dead on and ripped up sections of its famous boardwalk, left more than 2 million people in the state without power and submerged portions of some shore towns, NBC10 in Philadelphia reported. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie called what was left behind by Sandy a "major disaster" during an interview Tuesday morning on the TODAY Show. "I think the losses are going to be almost incalculable," Christie told Matt Lauer. Related: Superstorm Sandy leaves surreal scenes in its wake Christie rode a helicopter into the shore town of Belmar on Tuesday afternoon for an up-close look at the devastation left in Sandy's wake. At Belmar, much of the boardwalk was destroyed, and pieces were scattered about the beach.  Andrew Burton / Getty Images Superstorm Sandy made landfall Monday evening on a destructive and deadly path across the Northeast. "I was just here walking this place this summer, as part of our tour this summer," Christie said, NJ.com reported, "and the fact that most of it is gone is just incredible to me." Christie said amusement attractions in Seaside Heights were washed into the ocean. Atlantic City was cut off from the mainland by the storm surge along with other barrier islands, stranding residents who ignored warnings to evacuate. The city's response sparked a feud between the mayor and governor. A USA Today reporter who visited Fork River spoke to a Beach Haven resident, Erik Zak, who said much of the town was destroyed. "There are boats on top of decks, garages floated into the bay," he said. "We saw houses on top of boats." President Barack Obama has declared New Jersey a disaster area, clearing the way for federal disaster assistance to help start cleanup. On Wednesday, Obama will join Christie in New Jersey for a tour of storm damage and a talk with residents who are recovering from the storm. He will also talk to first responders, according to a White House statement. Obama called the storm "heartbreaking for the nation." More content from NBCNews.com:
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10/30/2012
Sandy shreds Jersey Shore homes, boardwalks
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