In Gary, Indiana, workers from True Cut Tree Care, based in Farmington, Michigan, are busy removing fallen trees after a storm toppled them on August 20, 2026. More than 20,000 residents in northwest Indiana remain without power two weeks after fierce storms swept through on August 11.
The storms brought wind gusts up to 100 mph, severely impacting communities like Gary, Portage, Lake Station, and Munster. As of Sunday morning, power company NIPSCO reported that homes in these areas still lacked electricity.
In Gary, Mayor Eddie Melton indicated that at least 17,000 people were still without power on Saturday. NIPSCO aims to restore electricity in Gary by Tuesday, August 25. Meanwhile, frustration grows among residents who are relying on shelters and food distribution centers for support. Schools in the city remain closed.
Indiana Governor Mike Braun activated the National Guard to aid in the recovery efforts. An emergency declaration approved by President Trump allows FEMA to contribute to the storm recovery work. Governor Braun urged NIPSCO to expedite the power restoration efforts.
“Bring in more crews. Put every available resource into the field. Get creative. Get the job done. Hoosiers have waited long enough,” Braun emphasized on social media.
The power outage coincided with an announcement from NIPSCO’s parent company, NiSource Inc., about a $140 million dividend payout to shareholders. Melody Birmingham, executive vice president of NiSource, stated that the storm’s damage presented one of the most challenging situations for their recovery crews.
When I say complex, these aren’t simple repairs. These are systems that are being rebuilt,
Birmingham explained. These are lines that ordinarily take weeks or months, and we are pushing to complete them in days or weeks.
The slow response from the company has drawn criticism from civil rights leaders and advocacy groups, questioning systemic inequity. Gary’s nearly 80% Black population intensifies the concerns voiced by these groups.
Bernice King, daughter of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., described the power outage in Gary as part of a larger pattern. Black communities have too often been expected to endure conditions that would be treated as intolerable somewhere else,
King noted on social media. We are expected to survive the neglect, absorb the loss, help ourselves, and wait for urgency to arrive.
The Indiana branch of the ACLU also emphasized the importance of equitable and swift disaster relief. Their statement on social media urged for equal treatment across all communities during the recovery process.