Deadly Tornado Ravages Minnesota Town

The roof of a farm building lies in a corn field where it was blown after a tornado 
struck Granite Falls, Minn., on July 25, killing one person and injuring 14. (Jim Mone/AP Photo).

July 26— A menacing tornado touched down Tuesday night and left a deadly trail in a southwestern Minnesota town — killing at least one person and damaging hundreds of homes. 

One official estimate puts the number of damaged homes in Granite Falls at between 300 and 500, and about a dozen people were injured. Hundreds were left homeless. 
     Richard Blackwelder, a Yellow Medicine County deputy, confirmed the fatality, but said relatives were still being notified and details were not released.

Snowplows Used
Snowplows cleared roads so emergency vehicles could get to the Injured. Rescue vehicles from towns in a 40-mile radius were dispatched to the town of about 3,000 people. 
     Laurie Evenstead, Yellow Medicine County jail administrator, said reports indicated as many as five funnel clouds were spotted at one time. 
     Gov. Jesse Ventura called out the National Guard for security and rescue operations. 
 

A damaged house in Granite Falls, Minn., is shown early today, after a tornado snaked up a 12-block path, Tuesday night. (AP Photo)

“I watched this tornado roll into town from the east side of town as I was running errands and it just made you sick to your stomach,” said Mayor Dave Spiglogski.
     A rescue command post was set up at Minnesota West, a technical college in town, said City Manager Bill Lavin.
     Lavin said he “very definitely” saw a tornado, both on the ground and then go back into the clouds. He heard “the typical train sound and the popping of the ear drums as it went overhead.” 
     “There’s power lines down,” Spiglogski said. “There’s trees down all over the place it’s not very safe to move around in here.”

‘Just Destroyed’

A tornado touched down in Granite Falls, Minnesota, with at least one fatality. (ABCNEWS.com/Magellan Geographix)

“The west side of town was just destroyed,” said Doug Kiesling, a storm spotter who said the damage and debris indicated a strong tornado.
     One Granite Falls witness, Deborah Krepela, said she was standing outside of the restaurant she runs and saw a tornado pass through the middle of town. It hit homes, and “debris was flying everywhere,” she said. 
     The debris field was nearly a mile wide, said Greg Devereaux, a photographer for the Independent of Marshall. One official estimate placed the number of damaged homes at between 300 to 350.
     “There are a lot of houses totally destroyed,” Blackwelder said.
     Devereaux said, “There is so much rubble that you can’t tell where there was a house.” 

ABCNEWS affiliate KSTP and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
 

Related Previous ABC News Tornado Stories
Tornado Kills Nine, Injures More Than 100

Storm Chasers Seek Super Storms

Ingredients for Tornadoes

Utah Tornadoes: Rare, Not Never

Most Costly Tornado Was Last Year