Severe weather threat remains after tornado strikes Marion County
Published 12:20 pm Saturday, March 7, 2026
JEFFERSON — A confirmed tornado injured a family in a camper and caused significant property damaged along U.S. 59 north of Jefferson around 4 a.m. Saturday morning.
The National Weather Service in Shreveport confirmed that a tornado passed through northern Marion County early Saturday morning, but the tornado does not have a severity rating yet, chief warning meteorologist Chris Nuttall said. Surveyors have not been able to examine affected areas as of noon Saturday.
A severe weather threat remains possible in East Texas through Saturday, Nuttall said, with the possibility of high winds, tornadic activity, hail and rainfall. People should remain weather-aware, Nuttall said.
Along U.S. 59 north of Jefferson, Bill Ramsey’s home was significantly damaged. The home was moved several feet off its foundation, most of its roof was ripped off and its side walls were damaged as well. He and friends removed his belongings from his home Saturday morning before more severe weather rolled into the area.
Ramsey said he woke his daughter up early Saturday morning after his mother called him and said severe weather was approaching. He walked outside and felt no wind, but within a minute, wind was strong enough to hurt his ears, he said.
He and his family walked from the bedroom to the hallway, and by that time, “it was over,” he said. “It sucked the roof off, moved the house 8 feet, broke these windows,” he said as he pointed toward the front of his home.
“It happened so quick, I didn’t realize how dangerous it was until it was over,” he said.
He was preparing to renovate his home and had materials on hand.
“I guess that is not needed now,” he said. His vehicles were damaged as well. His family had lived in the home since it was built in the 1950s.
Vaughn Baird drove by the house and stopped to talk.
“God had His hand on us because there ain’t nobody laying in the graveyard,” Baird said.
North of Ramsey’s home, Hunter and Natalie Herrington were asleep in a camper with their daughter when a tornado warning woke them up. Before they knew it, their camper had been rolled over and slammed into a shed that hit Hunter’s pickup.
“It felt like it lasted forever, but it probably wasn’t any more than 20 seconds of getting thrown around until it finally settled,” Hunter Herrington said. “By the time I had grabbed the baby from her crib and turned around and took two steps, we were flying. The camper started flying.
“We just grabbed the baby and squeezed her in between us, and bear-hugged her.”
The family had to get a ladder to get out of their camper, as the door was facing the sky.
Herrington’s knee was cut open, and he and his family went to a hospital in Longview to get care. The family returned to the property Saturday morning after being released.
The family was living in the camper while their home was being built, Herrington said. He hadn’t gone to see whether his home was damaged.
Natalie said she was praying during the storm, and she believes her prayers were answered because the situation could have been worse.
“God covered us,” she said.