NWS reports death related to Winchester tornado

WINCHESTER, Ind. — Officials with the Indianapolis office of the National Weather Service announced on Monday that one person has died after sustaining injuries in relation to mid-March’s tornado.

One of the victims of the Winchester tornado on March 14 died “with injuries sustained from the tornado as a contributing factor to the death,” according to the National Weather Service.

The family of Robert Blansett II confirmed that he was one of the 37 injured from the storm. After spending weeks in the hospital, he passed on April 21.

His daughter, Venus Blansett, said he was a local preacher. She added he leaves behind five generations of Blansett’s.

“Grandkids aren’t gonna see him, they’re not gonna know his voice. You can show the love, they will feel the love, but it’s still not the same as actually knowing the person. So yeah, he’s going to be deeply missed,” said Venus.

Two tornados were reported on March 14, one an EF-2 through Delaware County and Selma, and another an EF-3 through Randolph County and Winchester.

The tornados in mid-March caused extensive damage in both Selma and Winchester, causing many homes and other buildings to be destroyed. Thousands of individuals were without power and Indiana state officials provided resources for recovery efforts.

Mayor of Winchester Bob McCoy said they have transitioned from cleaning up to rebuilding.

“We’re trying to fundraise and get the community back on its feet,” said McCoy. “We do have a lot of people that are still struggling, some that lost their homes totally, and that had no insurance or very little insurance, so that’s going to be a struggle for a while.”

The city was awarded no FEMA assistance, but the mayor added they have the Indiana Disaster Relief Fund to hopefully rely on.

The U.S. Small Business Administration is offering businesses, private nonprofit organizations, homeowners and renters impacted by the storms to apply for physical damage disaster loans. The deadline is May 28.

The Randolph County Long Term Recovery Team is also available for residents impacted by the tornadoes.

“From a rebuild perspective, we’re really just starting that process and that’s for us, that’s really hard, right, because you want to help us as quickly as possible,” said Steve James, executive director of the Randolph County Long Term Recovery Team.

The 24/7 hotline for victims is 765-305-0114. For more information, click here .

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