Thom, a corn and beans farmer who does bulldozer and excavator work, said he was at his in-laws (Vernon and Virginia Peterson’s) house as the tornado approached.

“I remember the sky looked black and green. I saw white steel from a hog barn blown across the football field. Shortly after that the power went out,” said Thom. “I told everybody to get in the basement. The house started shaking and ears were popping. We came out of a basement room and smelled LP gas from a tipped over tank. The garage was blown down.”

Thom said he father-in-law just drove into town and pulled up to the garage and it blew down in front of him.

Amazingly, nobody was hurt.

Much of downtown Comfrey was heavily damaged by the March 1998 tornado, leaving buildings flattened to only piles of debris.

Then Thom got busy.

“I ran a track hoe (excavator), helping clean the town up, knocking down buildings,” he added. “I’ll never forget seeing the Faith Lutheran Church steeple stuck in the ground upside down and the school destroyed. I got to knock down some of Comfrey. It was fun. A life-changing event for sure.”

Comfrey resident Scott Hoek said he was in the basement of his residence when the tornado hit town.

“I remember looking out the window and seeing how black it got at about 3 p.m.,” said Hoek. “I remember coming up from the basement. It happened so fast, I couldn’t suck in all the information fast enough. Windows were blown out. I saw the neighbors running around their yard looking for people. I thought, I don’t know if I want to go outside and see dead bodies. I didn’t know if I was ready for that.”

Hoek, who grows corn and soybeans, said he was sitting in a room, waiting for a friend to come over and heard the warning whistle blow.

This photo, from a video taken by Roy Janni of rural New Ulm of the March 29, 1998 tornado, shows the massive size of the tornado in Lake Hanska Township. The flash in the middle is a spark from a power line as the tornado passes by. (Photo courtesy of Roy Janni)

“Luckily, my wife and kids were at her father’s place in Morton that day instead of being outside playing here,” Hoek said. “I called my wife and told her we were just hit by a tornado. She stayed up there that day.”

Hoek said he was able to rebuild his house. He said a number of people moved out of town after the tornado while others stayed, bought nearby lots of built bigger garages and additions to her homes.

“The volunteer response was huge after the tornado. People came in by the busload to help cleanup,” he added.