JASPER COUNTY — KFDM Meteorologist Braydon Siau says it appears a landspout/tornado moved across FM 1004 this afternoon and damaged Genesis Baptist Church northwest of Buna.
Jasper County Judge Mark Allen confirms the damage at about 4:30 p.m. Saturday to Genesis Baptist Church, seven miles down FM 1004, north of U.S. Highway 96 and northwest of Buna in the Cairo Community.
There were no injuries. Part of the roof was ripped off and an outbuilding was damaged.
Church members and other people in the community immediately started making repairs and cleaning up.
Judge Allen says firefighters are on a scouting mission to see if there’s a path or any other damage. He says so far they haven’t seen anything.
Neighbors say they didn’t know that had happened and there was no damage to their homes.
They also flew a drone loaned from Port Arthur over the area.
The National Weather Service is going to investigate Sunday and make a determination of the cause.
Church services will take place tomorrow. Judge Allen calls the congregation a strong group of people. Judge Allen and Emergency Management Coordinator Billy Ted Smith were at the scene.
He says he jokingly asked the pastor, “did you pray for a new roof!”