By Jheri Hardaway
Staff Writer
Gary, Indiana - Perhaps you’ve seen folks in Gary, Indiana, on social media grilling outside and cleaning out spoiled food from their refrigerators. Widespread power outages across Gary and the greater Northwest Indiana stem from a devastating line of severe storms that brought hurricane-force wind gusts exceeding 100 mph, heavy rainfall, and intense lightning. The extreme weather caused catastrophic damage to the regional electric grid, toppling utility poles, uprooting trees, and tearing down high-voltage transmission and distribution lines. Local news outlets and media reports state that more than 240,000 people remain without power.
Northern Indiana Public Service Company (NIPSCO) reported the storm as the largest outage event in the utility’s history. At its worst, the weather system knocked out power to more than 301,000 customers, which is over 60% of NIPSCO’s total electric customer base. The storm left approximately 95% of Lake County without electricity. In Gary alone, tens of thousands of residents and businesses were plunged into total darkness.
Following the widespread destruction, Gary Mayor Eddie Melton issued a local disaster emergency declaration to streamline municipal recovery efforts and coordinate state and federal assistance. The extended blackout disrupted essential infrastructure across the city, including non-functioning traffic signals that led to hazardous road conditions. As crews work to restore power, another issue arose late on Friday, August 14. NIPSCO paused storm restoration activities in Gary after a utility vehicle was struck by gunfire. Mayor Melton outlined increased security for NIPSCO crews. "Let me be clear: this type of violence is absolutely unacceptable and will not be tolerated in the City of Gary," said Mayor Melton. "These crews are here for one reason, to help our residents and restore electricity to families who have already endured days without power."
Widespread outages forced gas stations, grocery stores, and pharmacies to close, leaving residents searching for fuel, food, and basic necessities. Severe winds caused structural damage to homes, garages, and schools, tearing off roofs and leaving fallen trees across roads and vehicles. One person on TikTok mentioned the only good thing to come from this life-disrupting event is that “children are playing outside.” Community hubs such as the YWCA and local shelters managed by the American Red Cross opened round-the-clock cooling centers and resource distribution sites to assist vulnerable residents and seniors navigating extended outages.
NIPSCO mobilized hundreds of lineworkers and mutual-aid crews to clear debris, rebuild damaged infrastructure, and prioritize critical facilities including hospitals, water systems, and emergency dispatch centers. Restoring residential neighborhoods will be next. Utility officials expect full system restoration to take several days as repair crews work through extensive physical damage across Lake and Porter counties. Officials continue to urge residents to treat all downed power lines as live and energized, avoid standing water near damaged lines, and practice proper generator safety.
