Overview
- The Aug. 11 storm produced near‑99 mph winds, downed trees and power lines, and was linked to at least seven deaths across northwest Indiana.
- Roughly 65,000 to 75,000 NIPSCO customers remain without power more than a week later, with Gary and other Lake County communities bearing the longest outages.
- NIPSCO and NiSource say crews must repair or replace about 300 distribution poles and 44 transmission poles in Gary, a scale of damage the company calls complex and time‑consuming.
- Restoration has been repeatedly set back by new incidents, including a transmission pole fire and downed lines in Schererville that cut power for about 9,000 customers and caused brief, repeated outages.
- Residents face spoiled food, failed sewage pumps and medical risks while state officials seek expedited federal disaster aid and offer emergency grants of up to $5,000 as local sites provide meals, charging and shelter.