MONTELLO, Wis. -- About 1,000 homes are still without power in the Montello area after a tornado ripped through town. But, that's not getting residents down because many are just happy to be alive.

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Montello suffered major damage during the tornado. The force of the twister bent trees, damaged homes, and downed power lines. However, the Gemoll family is counting its blessings.

"It was scary," said Kayla Gemoll, of Montello.

Caroline Gemoll and her two young daughters were at the local Laundromat when the tornado hit.

"I told the kids to go into the bathroom and locked the door and prayed that the building would hold up," said Gemoll. "There was a lot of noise. I heard things crashing, things flying, it sounded like the whole laundry room was flying."

The Gemolls said they're happy to be alive.

In fact, the town's only injury was to a firefighter. Brandon Duffy was on tornado patrol when a flying pontoon boat hit his truck.

"The winds were very high at that time and basically picked up an abandoned pontoon on the lake and threw it into the fire chief's vehicle," said Rich Olson, Montello police chief.

Duffy suffered only minor injures. He was quickly released from an area hospital and went back to work. Residents in town said that's the attitude that keeps them one step ahead.

"We just went through some extensive flooding in the area and those folks, law enforcement and fire officials, worked through the night for close to three days and here were are again," said Jerry Smart, Montello mayor.

The Laundromat where the Gemoll family took cover is linked to the city's only grocery store and pharmacy. All three businesses are out of commission because of the damage.