More than 20,000 people across northwest Indiana remained without electricity nearly two weeks after a violent storm struck the region on Aug. 11.
Winds as strong as 100 mph tore through communities, downing trees and power lines and causing widespread damage in cities including Gary, Portage, Lake Station and Munster. Utility outage maps showed thousands of customers still affected as of Sunday morning.
Gary has been among the hardest hit. Mayor Eddie Melton said at least 17,000 residents were still without power on Saturday. Local utility NIPSCO estimated that electricity in Gary would be restored by the end of Tuesday, Aug. 25, and has directed crews to prioritize repairs in the area.
The extended outage has left many residents relying on shelters and food distribution centers. Several schools in the area remained closed while recovery continued, and frustration among the community mounted as people coped with the disruption.
State officials moved to accelerate recovery work. Indiana Gov. Mike Braun activated the National Guard to help with restoration and logistics, and the White House approved an emergency declaration allowing FEMA to provide federal assistance. Braun also publicly urged NIPSCO to increase manpower and resources to speed repairs.
The prolonged blackout came shortly after NiSource Inc., the parent company of NIPSCO, announced plans to pay roughly $140 million in dividends to shareholders. NiSource executives say the scale of the damage has been unusually severe and complex. Melody Birmingham, an executive with NiSource, described the work as rebuilding systems rather than making routine repairs and said crews were racing to complete tasks that would normally take weeks or months.
The utility’s pace of response has drawn criticism from local leaders and civil-rights groups who argue the outages highlight long-standing inequities. Gary’s population is nearly 80% Black, and advocates have questioned whether restoration resources have been allocated equitably across neighborhoods.
Civil-rights activist Bernice King said the situation in Gary fits a pattern in which predominantly Black communities receive delayed attention after disasters. The ACLU’s Indiana branch urged that relief efforts be distributed quickly and fairly so all communities receive needed aid.
Utility crews continued working around the clock to clear debris and rebuild damaged lines. Officials stressed that complex repairs and safety checks are required before power can be safely restored to affected customers, while urging residents to follow guidance from local authorities and utility representatives as recovery proceeds.