At least 8 homes damaged by possible tornado in Van Zandt County: Fire Marshal
Apr 04, 2025
Homeowners in Van Zandt County are cleaning up after at least one possible tornado touched down Friday afternoon.
The Grand Saline Fire Marshal’s Office says at least eight homes are damaged. Two of them are located along FM 1255.“You don’t know what to do. It’s overwhelming,” said Jus
tina Goerdel.Goerdel and her family took cover at a neighbor’s house and after the storms moved through, she says they emerged to find their back porch on top of their mobile home.
“I’ve never seen anything like that happen,” said Goerdel.
The heavy, steel porch sliced through the center of their home. Friday evening, friends and relatives were on the roof trying to dislodge the porch that left gaping holes.
“I don’t know what we’re going to do. We didn’t have insurance, so now we’ve got to figure out what to do because it’s busted through the living room roof and the room behind it, which is my daughter’s, it’s completely through the roof, so water’s just coming in,” said Goerdel.
Water was also pooling on the floor of a home up the road, where a wall was ripped off the side of a second-story house.
Kameron Martin hid in a first-floor bathtub under a mattress.
“Really, the vibration is what I felt the most, then I heard the pop of the roof come off, then I heard a second pop which I guess was the side of the wall of the house,” said Martin.
Along the path of damage, there were toppled trees, ripped roofs, and scattered debris.The Red Cross and the Grand Saline Fire Marshal’s Office were assessing damage.No injuries were reported.
“I’m just glad that I’m here. I praise God that I’m safe,” said Martin.
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