Thousands struggling without power in Indiana 12 days after severe storms

Thousands of Indiana residents, particularly in Gary, are still without power 12 days after severe storms on August 11th caused widespread damage. The storms, which brought high winds and tornadoes to the Midwest, killed seven people and left nearly 30,000 customers of Northern Indiana Public Service Company (Nipsco) without electricity as of Sunday. Residents, many of whom live in poverty, are struggling with basic needs like food, hygiene, and medication refrigeration, describing the situation as "survival mode." Frustration has led to a class-action lawsuit against Nipsco, accusing the utility of tree management failures. While Nipsco states it is working to restore power, with Gary expected to have electricity by Wednesday, Indiana's governor has called for faster action and requested federal disaster assistance.

Thousands of residents in northwest Indiana are entering their eleventh day without power following severe storms earlier in August that toppled trees and power lines. As of Saturday, 33,124 customers of Northern Indiana Public Service Company (Nipsco) remained without electricity, with some in Gary facing potential restoration only by Tuesday, two weeks after the storms began. The prolonged outages have caused significant disruptions, including spoiled food, closed businesses, and difficulties with basic necessities. Residents have filed a class-action lawsuit against Nipsco, alleging negligence in tree trimming, which the company denies, stating it has a vegetation management program. Governor Mike Braun has requested a major disaster declaration from FEMA for affected counties.