Indiana Governor Seeks FEMA Aid for 30,000 Outages as Gary Power Cuts Stretch to 12 Days
Updated
Updated · BBC.com · Aug 23
Indiana Governor Seeks FEMA Aid for 30,000 Outages as Gary Power Cuts Stretch to 12 Days
3 articles · Updated · BBC.com · Aug 23
Summary
Nearly 30,000 Nipsco customers were still without electricity Sunday, 12 days after 11 August storms battered northwest Indiana, prompting Governor Mike Braun to demand faster restoration and seek a quicker FEMA major disaster declaration.
99mph winds in Gary helped topple trees and power lines; Nipsco said it has restored service to more than 345,000 customers and expects Gary's remaining outages to be fixed by Wednesday.
Gary residents say the prolonged blackout has left families without refrigeration, lifts, street lights and some medical support, with World Central Kitchen stepping in as food access worsened.
A class-action lawsuit now accuses Nipsco of failing to manage trees near lines, a claim the utility denies as it says it will vigorously defend itself.
Gary's hardship has been amplified by poverty in the city of about 70,000, underscoring how longer outages can hit vulnerable communities harder as extreme weather grows more frequent.