Power Restoration Efforts After Violent Storms in Gary, Indiana

More than two weeks after severe storms disrupted power for thousands in Gary, Indiana, nearly all residents had their power restored by Wednesday. According to the Northern Indiana Public Service Co. (NIPSCO), fewer than 250 utility customers in the city of 69,000 remained without power as of Wednesday afternoon.

In a website update, NIPSCO stated, “Storm restoration efforts related to the Aug. 11 storm and subsequent weather events are substantially complete. While crews continue working through a limited number of individual outage cases, restoration activities have concluded across the broader service territory.”

The storms included a derecho, characterized by tornado-strength winds, which hit Indiana and other Midwest areas with winds ranging from 70 to over 100 mph. The National Weather Service reported that the derecho caused significant damage, leading to power outages for approximately 80% of NIPSCO’s customers, affecting around 375,000 people. By Wednesday night, fewer than 250 outages still persisted in other parts of the service area.

Alongside the derecho, tornadoes also struck, including a 26-mile-long EF2 twister moving from Illinois into Indiana. With estimated peak winds of 110 mph, it damaged roofs and uprooted trees, as per the National Weather Service.

NIPSCO faced criticism for the delayed power restoration. Gary Mayor Eric Melton labeled the pace of restoration “unacceptable” in a Sunday address, with some residents resorting to sleeping in their cars for air conditioning relief.

Calvin Boone, a resident of Gary, reported generator thefts in his neighborhood. Joetta Walker, another resident, faced health challenges without power, relying on an inhaler due to asthma.

Concerns were raised regarding possible racial bias since Gary is predominantly Black. However, an executive from NIPSCO’s parent company clarified to The Associated Press that outages were related to storm impact and not racial factors.

Republican Governor Mike Braun criticized NIPSCO, calling for an investigation. “NIPSCO is a monopoly utility that Hoosiers pay every month with the expectation that it will use its considerable resources to maintain its system, prepare for severe weather and restore service as quickly as possible when disaster strikes,” Braun said in a statement.

He further noted that President Donald Trump approved a major disaster declaration, facilitating additional aid.

There were seven storm-related fatalities across Indiana based on NBC News reports. One occurred in Lake County, a region including Gary, while others were reported in Delaware, Jennings, Porter, LaPorte, and Henry counties, according to officials and family accounts.

NIPSCO President and CEO Vince Parisi had previously appealed for patience, stating, “This was the worst damage we have ever seen, and we are grateful for the patience from our customers. Thanks to thousands of people working around the clock, restoration is complete, and we’re now focused on supporting the communities still recovering.”