Summary

A SCHOOL IN COMFREY, DESTROYED BY TORNADO, HAS BEEN RE-OPENED.

Source CONUS Archive
Record ID 170815
Story Slug School - Reopens
Location Comfrey, MN
Format Pkg*
Date 10/04/1999
Archive Time 35:11
TRT 1:53
Supers Comfrey, MN Bob Meyer, Superintendent Gail Plewacki, Reporting
Video Description FOOTAGE OF TORNADO DAMAGED SCHOOL; MALE SOT; SCHOOL BUSES; VARIOUS SHOTS OF TOWN; SCHOOL BUS ARRIVING; STUDENTS GETTING OFF BUS; MAN GREETING KIDS; KIDS AT LOCKER; KIDS IN CLASS; MALE SOT; KIDS IN CLASS; TEACHER; PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE; BUNCH OF CHEERING KIDS; MALE SOT; GREEN BALOONS BEING LAUNCHED;
Description A SCHOOL IN COMFREY, DESTROYED BY TORNADO, HAS BEEN RE-OPENED.
Script LEAD: SINCE MARCH OF LAST YEAR, THE LITTLE TOWN ON THE PRAIRIE CALLED COMFREY HAS STRUGGLED TO RE-BUILD FROM A TORNADO. GAIL PLEWACKI REPORTS ON HOW FIXING ONE BUILDING GAVE THE PEOPLE A REASON TO COME BACK FROM A TORNADO. TAKE PKG SCRIPT: NATS "We had a tornado in Comfrey" SOT "It's bad" SOT "The school is Comfrey without it I'm afraid there isn't Comfrey anymore" MARCH 29, 1998... SOT "There are a lot of memories, but life goes on" OCTOBER 4, 1999, AND LIFE DID GO ON IN THE TOWN OF COMFREY. BUT TODAY, THE TOWN IS CLOSED, IN HONOR OF A VERY IMPORTANT OPENING. SOT "Well, here come the buses" IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN MORE THAN A BUILDING.... SOT "And then we'll go into the building when you find your teacher" AND IN FACT THE FUTURE OF COMFREY DEPENDED ON ITS SURVIVAL. SOT (Bob Meyer) "It's an important part of rebuilding" SOT (Bob Meyer) "People have to make a decision, are we gonna stay in Comfrey... will there be jobs will there be places to go, will there be parks" BUT A TOWN JUST ISN'T A TOWN WITHOUT A SCHOOL.... SOT "We're here, we're back homecoming week and we're here" SOT "... and of the United States of America" FOR 5TH GRADER EMILY MATHIOWETZ, IT'S MORE THAN JUST A HOMECOMING... IT'S THE BENEFITS ONLY A TEN YEAR OLD CAN APPRECIATE. SOT "... and sleeping in" SOT "music... hey we're home" SOT "We all thought that Comfrey was a small town and we were probably done.. we were afraid that after the tornado we would be sent to a different school and we found out that we need to be optimistic about the future" SOT "Now I gotta cut loose, footloose!" SOT "It's a great day to be in Comfrey" COMFREY... THE LITTLE TOWN THAT ALMOST WASN'T.. AND IT'S PEOPLE WHO WOULDN'T GIVE UP.. TAG: THE SCHOOL WAS ORIGINALLY BUILT IN 19-17 AND TWO THIRDS OF IT WAS DESTROYED BY THE 19-98 TORNADO. CONSTRUCTION BEGAN IN JANUARY AND COST NEARLY 9 MILLION DOLLARS. UPPERMID
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