Overview
- A fast‑moving derecho on Aug. 11 produced winds up to 99 mph in Gary, killed at least seven people and cut electricity to roughly 374,500 NIPSCO customers at the peak.
- NIPSCO says it has restored power to the vast majority of customers but roughly 7,000 to 30,000 remained without service as of Aug. 24, with most outages concentrated in Gary and the utility forecasting most remaining restorations by Tuesday.
- Residents have faced acute hardships such as spoiled medication, empty grocery shelves and the inability of some people who rely on electric oxygen equipment to use it, forcing many to rely on cooling centers and community aid.
- Governor Mike Braun has deployed the Indiana National Guard, requested expedited FEMA disaster assistance and asked regulators to investigate NIPSCO as a class‑action lawsuit accuses the utility of inadequate tree and vegetation management; NIPSCO disputes those claims.
- Restoration has required rebuilding large parts of the grid including hundreds of distribution poles and dozens of transmission poles, and charities, mutual‑aid crews and utility partners including ComEd and national volunteers are providing meals, crews and supplies.