Ninth Day Without Power Leaves Thousands in Northwest Indiana Struggling

Northwest Indiana residents entered a ninth day without electricity on Thursday, discarding spoiled food and queuing for hot meals while searching for places to charge phones. The outage follows an August 11 storm that toppled trees and downed power lines, leaving Northern Indiana Public Service Co. (NIPSCO) still unable to restore service to about 68,000 customers, primarily in Lake County near the Illinois border. The utility reported that it has restored power to 306,500 customers since the storm but warned that full restoration may not occur until the following Tuesday in some areas, including Gary.

School districts in the region remain closed. Gary’s school system, serving roughly 4,300 students, has been shut since August 13 and will stay closed at least through Friday. Portage Township Schools cancelled their August 12 start and are targeting an August 25 reopening, citing safety concerns over downed trees and damaged infrastructure.

Health experts highlighted growing risks as the outage persists. Indiana University Indianapolis professor Courtney Page-Tan noted that generator use can cause carbon-monoxide poisoning, medical devices may lose power, and spoiled food can pose food-borne illness threats. "Nine days is a long time for a community to be without power," she said.

Local residents described the strain of prolonged outages. Hair stylist Shatiya Hardin, whose salon has been closed since the storm, said patience in her lower-income neighborhood is wearing thin. Community organizer Kevin Mejia reported repeated power losses for some households and an influx of requests for food assistance on his Facebook page. Raydia Martin, assistant director of the Flourish Community Hub, said volunteers and faith-based groups have stepped in to provide meals and supplies.

NIPSCO described the damage as "unprecedented and widespread" and said crews from across the country are working to repair downed wires, broken poles and other equipment. Melody Birmingham, an executive with NIPSCO’s parent company, attributed faster recovery in neighboring Illinois to differences in tree density and infrastructure, noting that some power lines there are buried.

Meanwhile, heavy rains in central Ohio caused flash flooding in Columbus, prompting emergency rescues of motorists and a 12-year-old boy swept off a bridge. Mayor Andrew Ginther said the city is focusing on recovery despite the additional weather challenges.