Hurricane BELLE, Atlantic Highlands, NJ – 1976 Hurricane BELLE was the first major hurricane of the 1976 Atlantic hurricane season and it threatened much of the East Coast of the United States. However, the storm weakened prior to making landfall and struck New Jersey and Long Island, New York as a Category One hurricane. It caused over $100 million in damages (in 1976 dollars.) This photo taken at the municipal marina at Atlantic Highlands, NJ shows some of the debris left in the wake of the hurricane.