Gary residents face prolonged power outages after deadly storms

Thousands of residents in Gary, Indiana, remain without electricity days after a severe derecho and intense storms struck the region on August 11. The storm, which produced winds of up to 99 mph, caused widespread destruction, including downed trees, damaged homes, and significant infrastructure failure.

As of mid-August, nearly 30,000 NIPSCO customers in Gary across nine zip codes were still without power. The outage has impacted over 300,000 NIPSCO customers across Northwest Indiana. Restoration efforts have faced challenges, including a reported incident where shots were fired at a NIPSCO repair truck, temporarily delaying work.

Neighborhoods such as Glen Park, University Park, Ambridge Mann, Tolleston, and Miller Beach have experienced some of the highest concentrations of outages. Many residents have been forced to rely on generators, solar-powered batteries, and candles to manage daily life.