Hundreds rescued in N.J. towns slammed by Sandy's surge

• A tidal surge roared up the Hackensack River, overwhelming natural barriers
• Moonachie was 5 feet underwater within 45 minutes
• Carlstadt, Little Ferry, Hackensack and South Hackensack also were swamped

Police, firefighters and National Guard troops evacuated hundreds of residents in the New Jersey communities of Moonachie and Little Ferry early Tuesday after a tidal surge roared up the Hackensack River and overwhelmed natural barriers protecting low-lying areas.

NewJersey.com reported that people in one Moonachie trailer park had to climb through the roofs of their trailers until rescuers arrived.

No injuries or deaths were immediately reported in the town of 2,700 that is about 10 miles northwest of Manhattan.

Trailer park residents said water overflowed a nearby creek when the tidal surge occurred, the Associated Press reported. In the nearby town of Little Ferry, residents said water gushed out of storm drains.

"All I know is the water came down here like a tsunami," an apartment complex superintendent told The Bergen Record.

Dozens of Little Ferry residents were taken by boat to a Dunkin' Donuts, which became a staging area for rescue operations.

Local and county authorities initially said a levee had broken, but New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, speaking to CNN, blamed the devastation on a tidal surge up Newark Bay that overwhelmed a natural berm.

As the surge hit, Moonachie was 5 feet underwater within 45 minutes, Moonachie police Sgt. Tom Schmidt said, The Record reported.

Rescue teams from surrounding areas rushed boats and high-water vehicles into Moonachie, where police, fire and municipal buildings were submerged.

"Emergency responders immediately came on scene," New Jersey State Police Sgt. Adam Grossman said, according to Business Insider. "We are trying to get everyone out."

The surrounding towns of Carlstadt, Little Ferry, Hackensack and South Hackensack also were swamped.

"We have been evacuating people all night long," Little Ferry Mayor Mauro Raguseo said, according to The Record. He said 80% of the borough was submerged.

Little Ferry Police Chief Ralph Verdi told CNN that that when the barrier holding back the water was breached "it was a wall of water."