] Belmar was in the midst of an idyllic summer night at ] 7:50 p.m. Tuesday. Families gathered on large, wraparound ] porches. One man sat at a table paying bills in his 12th ] Avenue home. A thunderstorm rumbled in the distance. ] ] Three minutes later, chaos reigned. ] ] At 7:53 p.m., with the sky an ominous shade of gray, ] winds grew in strength, lifting patio furniture into the ] air. Large trees soon bent to the breaking point. Then ] came the funnel-shaped cloud that sent people scrambling ] for safety. Destruction -- quick and brutal -- followed. ] ] By the time the storm had passed, at least 25 homes had ] sustained damage -- some of it extensive. At least a ] half-dozen cars were smashed. Two utility poles were ] ripped from the ground, and about 45 trees were either ] downed or suffered serious damage. Monmouth County gets its ass kicked by tornadoes again. |