Mayor: Winchester has 'come a long way' in the wake of tornado

WINCHESTER, Ind. — Mayor Bob McCoy has been on the move most of the time since an EF-3 tornado slammed into his city last Thursday evening.

"Forty-seven structures destroyed," McCoy read from a list Monday afternoon at the city building. "Fifty-six structures with major damage, 60 structures with minor damage. Over 575 volunteers — I think that number's up to 700.

"Thirty-eight injuries from the tornado. Three were critical. So far as I know, no one has passed.

"Seven (displaced) people initially sheltered at Winchester. Now there's none. They have went with family, friends, hotels, whatever, so we are not sheltering anybody.

"The path was 25 miles long. Path width was 700 yards. Estimated peak winds were 165 (mph). Power outages exceeded 5,000. I think we're down to a very minimum (without power) right now.

"More than 125 utility poles (in Randolph County) taken down."

All the damage and chaos resulting from the tornado aside, McCoy said Monday he believed his community had "come a long way in a short period of time."

More: Winchester pastor: Despite building's destruction by tornado, church is 'still here'

"The state police are slowly pulling back," the mayor said. "We're working on getting to be somewhat normal."

Part of the police presence in town has been aimed at discouraging would-be looters. As of Monday, there had been no reports of related theft or vandalism.

McCoy said recovery efforts were going "very, very good," in large part to the efforts of emergency responders and municipal employees, and hundreds of volunteers.

"Food (is) coming in, supplies (are) coming in," he said, adding that Winchester had been the recipient of an "outpouring of support," both from fellow Hoosiers and those elsewhere.

"My goal is to get everything cleaned up the best we can so that the people who are actually living in our area, that they can go on with their everyday lives. ... We're working on getting to be somewhat normal.

"Other than the rebuilding, I really feel — and maybe I'm overly optimistic — I really feel within the next couple of weeks, we're going to be somewhat back to normal."

For those dealing with major property damage, McCoy said he hoped they could be helped with insurance negotiations and the mental stress resulting from what has unfolded in recent days.

The mayor said he had discussed with Gov. Eric Holcomb's staff the possibility of creating temporary housing for some displaced by the tornado.

"Maybe there's a possibility of putting some mobile homes somewhere," McCoy said. "Maybe I can get 10 or 12 of them ... and get somebody temporary housing until we can figure this all out."

McCoy was at home when the storm hit on Thursday night.

"We took cover in a closet, me, my daughter, our dog and my wife and kind of rode it out," the mayor said. "It went about a quarter-mile south of us."

By about 8:10 p.m., McCoy was at the city building.

"Once I drove into town, it wasn't that we had any debris on the main road. It was the fact we had so many responders. Sirens, lights, this whole area was like a big red glow."

Winchester's first responders rush to scene

The city's police officers and firefighters quickly went into action, along with employees from other city departments.

A grid search, to assess damage and look for storm victims, was underway within 20 minutes.

"Our fire department was pulling people out (of their damaged homes)," the mayor said. "We had people who were trapped. It was scary."

The mayor said he was "up for two days straight" in the wake of the tornado.

After things calmed down somewhat, he slept for four hours one night, five another.

"I'm still not sleeping because there's too much going on in your head," he said. "Any rest was welcome."

But McCoy was quick to note he was by no means the only local resident working extended hours.

"It's been overwhelming," he said. "People have been thanking me. They don't need to thank me. They need to thank the community."

He compared his role to that of a "traffic director," coordinating the efforts of others who "just made things happen."

Mayor's two terms marked by COVID, tornados

McCoy on Jan. 1 began his second four-year term as Winchester's mayor.

A few weeks into his first term, the full effects of the COVID-19 pandemic reached East Central Indiana.

The early months of his second term, obviously, will be marked by last week's tornado and its aftermath.

There won't be a third term as mayor, McCoy said Monday.

He said he had already made the decision, before last week's tornado, to "step back" when his present term expires in four years.

He expressed hope "some younger people" by then might be interested in moving into city leadership.

Douglas Walker is a news reporter at The Star Press. Contact him at 765-213-5851 or at dwalker@muncie.gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: Winchester mayor notes 'outpouring of support' in wake of tornado