Overview
- The outages began after powerful storms on Aug. 11 that produced near‑hurricane‑force straight‑line winds and tornadoes and tore down trees, distribution poles and some transmission lines across Northwest Indiana.
- NIPSCO says it expects all customers in Northwest Indiana to be restored by Tuesday night, but about 3,000 Gary customers remained without service Tuesday morning and the company warned some localized repairs could take longer.
- Crews from NIPSCO and mutual‑aid teams have rebuilt hundreds of distribution poles and cleared downed trees, while debris pickup in Gary started Tuesday and restoration work continued block by block.
- Community relief operations have run large food and supply giveaways — including an influencer‑organized distribution that handed out thousands of meals and supply buckets — and FEMA and the state are offering individual aid that may include grants up to $5,000.
- Political and legal pressure is escalating: Governor Mike Braun has called for an investigation into NIPSCO’s vegetation management, residents filed a class‑action suit alleging inadequate tree trimming, and NIPSCO says it will vigorously defend itself.