Power Outage Crisis in Northwest Indiana after Severe Storms

Workers from True Cut Tree Care of Farmington, Michigan have been actively engaged in removing fallen trees in front of homes in the aftermath of a recent storm on August 20, 2026 in Gary, Indiana.

As of Sunday morning, over 20,000 individuals remain without power in the northwest Indiana area weeks after severe storms swept through on August 11. The storms, characterized by wind gusts reaching up to 100 mph, have left homes in Gary, Portage, Lake Station, and Munster without electricity.

Gary’s Mayor, Eddie Melton, reported that at least 17,000 residents in the city continued to face power outages as of Saturday. NIPSCO, the local power provider, aims to restore electricity to Gary by the end of Tuesday, August 25.

The prolonged lack of power is causing increasing frustration among residents, many of whom are seeking assistance at shelters or relying on food from distribution centers. Schools in the city remain closed.

Indiana’s Governor, Mike Braun, has mobilized the National Guard to aid in restoration efforts. Meanwhile, President Trump has approved an emergency declaration for Indiana, permitting aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in storm recovery operations.

Governor Braun took to social media on Saturday, urging NIPSCO to accelerate efforts to restore power: “Bring in more crews. Put every available resource into the field. Get creative. Get the job done. Hoosiers have waited long enough.”

Coinciding with the outage, NiSource Inc., the parent company of NIPSCO, announced a dividend payout of approximately $140 million to shareholders. Melody Birmingham, executive vice president of NiSource and president of its utilities division, described the storm damage as one of “the most extensive and complex” scenarios their recovery teams have ever tackled. She emphasized that these aren’t simple repairs; systems are being rebuilt. Lines and systems that typically require weeks or months are being expedited to meet deadlines.

Criticism of the slow response has emerged, particularly from civil rights leaders and advocacy organizations addressing systemic inequity. Gary’s population is nearly 80% Black. Civil rights leader Bernice King, daughter of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., noted that the power outage signifies “part of a pattern” where residents “deserve more than survival.” King stated, “Black communities have too often been expected to endure conditions that would be treated as intolerable somewhere else.”

The ACLU’s Indiana branch underscored the importance of equitable and swift relief in disaster scenarios. “It’s important that, when a disaster happens, the relief reaches every community quickly and equitably,” the group expressed via social media on Saturday.