ComEd Sends Crews to Aid NIPSCO in Northwest Indiana Power Restoration
More than 60 ComEd workers arrived Saturday to help NIPSCO restore electricity to over 30,000 northwest Indiana customers still without power after August storms, while local charities and the Chicago Bears provided additional relief.
ComEd dispatched over 60 employees to northwest Indiana on Saturday to support NIPSCO crews restoring power after severe storms that knocked out electricity for thousands of residents on Aug. 11. The utility workers are expected to remain in the area for several days as NIPSCO reported that more than 30,000 customers were still without service.
Local officials and community leaders said the additional crews could accelerate restoration, especially in Gary and Portage, where the highest numbers of outages persist. "People are really resilient and just hopeful in the midst of a difficult situation," said Nicole Guns, senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Gary, which has been providing hot meals and other assistance.
Residents described the challenges of the prolonged outage. Yvonya Randle, who is pregnant and past her due date, said she has been trying to stay calm without power for over a week while caring for two young children. Talisha Burnett reported having to sit in her car for air because her home lacks cooling and has sustained moisture damage. Kimberly Lopez said a downed power line killed her chickens and forced her family into costly temporary housing.
Cleanup crews continued to remove debris and fallen trees across the region. NIPSCO said its teams are working around the clock and have suspended disconnections for the next week, with President Melody Birmingham adding that the utility will implement programs to help customers who struggle to pay their bills.
The Chicago Bears announced a $200,000 donation to storm relief, split between Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago and Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Gary. Indiana Governor Mike Braun has requested a major disaster declaration from the federal government, estimating property damage at more than $5 billion.
A class-action lawsuit has been filed against NIPSCO, alleging inadequate vegetation management that allowed trees to fall on power lines and cause the outages. NIPSCO denied the claims, stating it maintains an active vegetation management program and will vigorously defend itself in court.