Almost 30,000 Indiana residents still without power 12 days after storms

Sat Oct 10 2026 14:46:31 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

Hundreds of people in Gary and surrounding areas endure cold, lack of food and electricity weeks later, prompting legal action and government calls for equipment.

A severe storm that hit Indiana on 11 August has left roughly 30,000 residents without electricity for two weeks, despite the restoration of power for 345,000 others. The outages have caused shortages of food, medicine, and cooling in the industrial town of Gary, home to one‑third poverty residents, and spurred a class‑action lawsuit against the utility Nipsco for failing to manage trees that caused tree‑fall damage. Governor Mike Braun has urged the federal agency FEMA to declare a major disaster to unlock additional aid, while local churches have called out for swift action. As temperatures rise and climate‑related extremes become more common, the strain on infrastructure may intensify. This ongoing crisis highlights the need for proactive infrastructure maintenance and rapid disaster response.

A blustery storm on 11 August left many people in Indiana without electricity two weeks later. Even though the utility has restored power to 345 000 customers, almost 30 000 residents remain in the dark.

The industrial city of Gary, with one third of its 70 000 inhabitants living in poverty, has been impacted by power‑line damage caused by falling trees. People are cutting down food supplies, unable to refrigerate medicine, and struggling to maintain hygiene. Some elderly residents have no power for medical oxygen tanks, and disabled people face a lack of elevators.

Police and community members have organized small support networks: friends deliver groceries and phone‑charging devices, while the World Central Kitchen has arrived to help those stuck.

Nipsco, the power company, denies wrongdoing and says it will "vigorously" defend itself in court. Local residents have filed a class‑action suit, claiming the utility failed to clear the vegetation that caused the lines to fall. Several lawsuits cite personal injury as well, such as a dentist forced to halt a procedure.

Bayron, Governor of Indiana, has urged the federal emergency agency to declare a major disaster quickly, which would unlock aid and increase the availability of crews. He also called for more innovative resource use to restore power as soon as possible.

With climate change increasing the frequency of extreme weather, incidents like this are more likely to recur, stressing the importance of anticipating and securing power infrastructure for future storms.