Additional Coverage:
- ‘Getting no help’: Thousands in Gary, Indiana, still without power nearly 2 weeks after storms (nbcnews.com)
GARY, Ind. – Nearly two weeks after severe storms swept through the region, many residents of Gary, Indiana, continue to endure prolonged power outages-creating serious health and safety challenges, especially for vulnerable individuals like 73-year-old Joetta Walker.
A lifelong resident of this rust-belt city on Lake Michigan’s southern shore, Walker suffers from asthma and relies on a nebulizer to manage her breathing. Without electricity, her nebulizer remains unusable, forcing her to depend solely on an inhaler, which she says provides far less relief. “I wheeze,” Walker explained, attributing some of her difficulty to the intense heat inside her home.
Gary has been hit harder than anywhere else in Indiana by the August 11 storms. According to Northern Indiana Public Service Company (NIPSCO), over 8,600 customers, mostly in Gary, were still without power as of Monday. The extended outage has left many residents struggling, with some reporting spoiled food and unsafe living conditions.
Mayor Eddie Melton has been vocal in his frustration, urging federal assistance after speaking with then-President Donald Trump. “I told him explicitly that we needed help, that we needed resources,” Melton said, requesting executive action to expedite restoration efforts.
While Trump promised to do all he could, Melton remains critical of the current pace, calling twelve days without power “too long” for families. He anticipates significant progress by Tuesday.
NIPSCO, serving more than 1.3 million customers in northern Indiana, says it is focused on safely restoring power and expects to complete restoration in Gary by Tuesday. Meanwhile, residents like Walker rely on relatives for food and phone charging, as spoiled groceries pile up in powerless refrigerators and freezers.
Other community members report mixed progress. Dion Thomas, 40, said Monday marked the first time power crews appeared in his neighborhood, though service remained intermittent. With no electricity at home, residents have gathered in parks to cook food over charcoal before it spoils.
Unfortunately, the outages have also spurred thefts, particularly of generators. Calvin Boone, a father of four, expressed concern for vulnerable neighbors, especially older adults and those with health issues, while noting that some have resorted to sleeping in cars with engines running to stay cool.
For some, like Channie Weaver and her family, power has just returned but too late to save their food supplies. Weaver, 50, who lives with her pregnant daughter and two young granddaughters, described the past days as “rough,” coping with the heat and lack of air conditioning.
Many residents interviewed expressed a troubling suspicion that their community’s delayed restoration may be influenced by the city’s predominantly Black population. “I feel like we at the bottom before everybody else,” Weaver said.
As Gary works toward recovery, these voices highlight the urgent human impact behind the numbers, underscoring the critical need for timely and equitable restoration efforts following such natural disasters.