Overview
- The storms that struck Tuesday, Aug. 11, produced tornadoes and derecho‑force winds that killed at least seven people and knocked out power to about 300,000 customers across northwest Indiana and the south suburbs.
- NIPSCO has restored roughly 282,000–285,000 customers since the storm but about 83,000–87,000 buildings and homes remain without power, with Munster and Highland among the communities projected to wait until Aug. 25 for full restoration.
- Restoration work has required rebuilding damaged transmission lines and major distribution equipment, which dictates a phased, priority‑based approach to return service safely to the largest number of customers first.
- Recovery has been set back by security and equipment incidents: a NIPSCO vehicle was struck by gunfire that briefly halted repairs and a large fire near utility equipment in East Chicago caused renewed outages there.
- Local relief efforts and federal support are in place — mutual‑aid crews, state and federal disaster assistance, and community food and cooling sites — but residents still face spoilage, closed schools, generator dependence, and stretched municipal resources.