By Gloria Ogbonna
More than a week after a historic and deadly storm tore through Northwest Indiana, tens of thousands of residents are still without electricity as utility crews work around the clock to repair widespread damage.
Northern Indiana Public Service Company, or NIPSCO, said restoration efforts have been complicated by the unprecedented scale of the destruction, with damaged power lines, utility infrastructure and debris continuing to create major challenges for crews in communities including Gary, Munster and Highland.
NIPSCO leaders said the damage is far more extensive than what crews typically encounter during a major outage, forcing the company to bring in additional workers and equipment from outside the region.
“These aren’t simple repairs,” NiSource Group Utilities President Melody Birmingham said. “These are lines that ordinarily take us, and systems that ordinarily take weeks or months that we are trying to accomplish in days or weeks.”
Birmingham said utility crews have been working continuously to restore service to customers. NIPSCO has also called in assistance from other states as the company attempts to accelerate the recovery.
Utility trucks from Jacksonville, Florida, were spotted in Munster, highlighting the scale of the response and the need for additional manpower.
Despite the ongoing efforts, the damage remains extensive in several neighborhoods. Roads in Munster, Highland and surrounding communities are still lined with fallen trees, branches and other debris left behind by the powerful storm.
For some residents, the wait for electricity has stretched far beyond what they expected. NIPSCO’s estimated restoration timeline, which had initially targeted Wednesday for some customers, has now been pushed back to next Tuesday.
The prolonged outage has forced families to find temporary ways to cope with the loss of basic services during the summer heat.
Some residents have resorted to purchasing generators, fans and portable air-conditioning units to keep their homes bearable. A Home Depot in Hammond has seen residents searching for generators and other emergency supplies.
One woman, Barb Light, said she spent about $900 on a generator and has since spent hundreds of additional dollars on fuel to keep it operating.
“We’re all exhausted,” Light said. “My husband still has to go to work, and I’m just thankful we have a generator right now.”
Light said the generator has allowed her family to run fans and a portable air conditioner, but she acknowledged that the situation has been financially draining.
Without the generator, she said, the heat inside the home would have become extremely difficult to manage.
Light also said she wants NIPSCO to provide customers with clearer and more consistent information about restoration efforts and expected timelines. A NIPSCO representative acknowledged the frustration and said the concerns raised by customers are valid.
For other residents, the impact has gone well beyond inconvenience.
Gary resident Brittany Bankhead said the prolonged outage has forced her family to throw away food stored in refrigerators and freezers. She also described how difficult the nighttime conditions have become without street and household lighting.
“We have no gas, no restaurants, no power,” Bankhead said. “Now, we had to throw away everything at all refrigerators. And night is like Gotham City. You can’t see anything.”
Bankhead said she is also struggling with the financial burden of keeping her household running during the outage. She said she received a utility bill even while her home remained without power.
“NIPSCO is expensive. I’m running about $600 bill a month and I’m a single parent of two,” she said.
The extended outage has also sparked broader questions among some Gary residents about the region’s electrical infrastructure and whether the current system is equipped to handle the area’s needs.
Resident Thomas Payton said he believes additional energy providers may be needed to help reduce the strain on NIPSCO.
“They need another energy provider to help them out. Their case load is too heavy,” Payton said.
Payton also criticized the utility’s rates, arguing that customers should receive better service if they are being asked to pay more.
“They keep asking for increases, but the service is not increasing and it’s just unfair,” he said.
Meanwhile, community leaders and local organizations are working to provide assistance to residents affected by the storm.
Gary Mayor Eddie Melton said former NBA player Glenn Robinson donated $100,000 to support people impacted by the disaster. The contribution is expected to help residents who are facing expenses associated with the prolonged power outage and storm recovery.
As the restoration effort continues, NIPSCO leaders said they understand the frustration felt by customers and are committed to getting electricity restored as quickly and safely as possible.
However, for residents who have spent more than a week without reliable power, the wait has become increasingly difficult. Families are dealing with spoiled food, rising fuel costs, uncomfortable temperatures and disruptions to work and daily life.
With additional crews now working across the hardest-hit communities, residents are hoping the expanded response will speed up repairs and bring an end to the prolonged outage.
For thousands of families across Northwest Indiana, the priority remains simple: getting the lights back on and returning their homes and communities to normal.
Source ABC7
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