Tens of thousands of residents in northwest Indiana remained without electricity on Thursday, entering a second week of outages following a severe storm. The weather event toppled trees and brought down power lines across the region, causing at least one death and leaving approximately 30,000 customers without service as of late Thursday. Residents in cities like Gary reported living in difficult conditions as they waited for utility crews to restore connections.
The outages began last week when a powerful storm system moved through the Midwest, producing high winds and heavy rain. Beyond Indiana, the storm caused significant flooding in parts of Ohio. Northern Indiana Public Service Co. (NIPSCO), the primary utility provider for the area, stated that the extent of the damage to the electrical grid was significant, requiring extensive repairs to poles and transformers across multiple counties.
Utility crews from several states have been deployed to assist with restoration efforts. NIPSCO reported that while service has been returned to more than 100,000 customers since the storm hit, the remaining outages are in areas with the most complex damage. Residents in affected neighborhoods described relying on portable generators for light and refrigeration, while others sought assistance at local cooling centers and shelters established by municipal governments.
Small-business owners in urban centers like Gary are facing continued closures, resulting in lost revenue and the potential loss of perishable inventory. The lack of power also impacts local infrastructure, as traffic signals in some areas remain non-functional, increasing the risk for motorists and pedestrians. Local governments are bearing the cost of operating emergency shelters and providing water and ice to residents who have been without utility service for over seven days.
The situation sets a precedent for how regional utilities and emergency management agencies handle multi-day outages following extreme weather events. While NIPSCO has not provided a definitive time for total restoration for all customers, the utility indicated that work would continue around the clock. Residents can expect to see utility trucks and specialized tree-clearing crews in their neighborhoods through the weekend as they prioritize high-voltage lines before moving to individual street-level repairs. Restoration is expected to continue in phases based on the severity of local equipment damage.