Thousands in northwest Indiana still lack electricity a week after fatal storms

Severe storms that struck northwest Indiana on Aug. 11 toppled trees and downed power lines, leaving tens of thousands without electricity. Northern Indiana Public Service Co., the sole provider in the area, reports that it has restored service to 285,000 customers but still has 85,000 outages, including more than 22,000 in Gary. Community centers in Gary are distributing hot meals and allowing residents to charge phones, while some households depend on generators that cost about $75 in fuel each day, as described by Jeremy Spurrier, a safety manager from Portage.

The utility expects many of those still without power to wait until around Aug. 25, and has deployed crews from across the country to assist. Mayor Eddie Melton noted that over 600 linemen are on the job and emphasized that the problem extends beyond Gary to the entire northwest Indiana region. Authorities also reported that a NIPSCO repair vehicle was fired upon in Gary, prompting heightened security for utility crews.