Indiana Gov. Braun: NIPSCO Has Failed 21,000 Residents Still without Power
About 20,000 NIPSCO customers still lacked electricity, and Gary remained one of the last Northwest Indiana communities awaiting full restoration, officials said.
- On August 11, 2026, a 99-mph derecho struck Gary, Indiana, knocking out power to nearly 38,300 utility customers; twelve days later, thousands remain without electricity as the city faces one of the region's slowest restoration timelines.
- Heavy rainfall saturated soil across the region, causing trees to topple onto overhead power lines; Northern Indiana Public Service Company reported the damage as "unprecedented and widespread," with 335 damaged poles and 27 substations requiring repair.
- The outages have created a "healthcare access emergency," disrupting medical equipment and food storage for thousands; Gary's school district serving about 4,300 children remains closed, while resident Shatiya Hardin told CBS News the situation has been "absolutely horrible."
- Indiana Governor Mike Braun requested an expedited major disaster declaration from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for 54 counties; Gary Mayor Eddie Melton demanded NIPSCO "start having more accountability" on restoration timelines and emergency management.
- Experts warn severe storms are becoming more frequent and intense, complicating long-term infrastructure resilience; while underground power lines could prevent future outages, they cost seven to ten times more than overhead systems, making widespread upgrades cost-prohibitive.
33 Articles
33 Articles
Storm recovery | Damaged electrical weatherhead adds to power outage frustrations
NIPSCO sent customers a message Saturday alerting them to the fact that the weatherhead is owned by the property owner, and any damage needs to be repaired by a licensed electrician.
Meals on Wheels provides lifeline during historic Indiana power outages
Meals on Wheels continues to provide a lifeline after Gary and Northwest Indiana experience historic power outages as more than 500 volunteers on more than 50 routes work to serve around 2,200 meals daily.
In Indiana, a weeklong blackout became a health care emergency, and its patient toll is unknown
In Gary, Indiana, a power outage stopped being only an issue of ruined groceries and lost power once residents who needed electricity for medical devices spent days without dependable power. In a now-widely shared video, one healthcare advocate pushed that point further, calling the situation "a healthcare access emergency" and questioning how much patient harm may have been caused by the blackout. Here's what to know This healthcare advocate, C…
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