Indiana residents endure ninth day without power after deadly storm

Tens of thousands of residents in northwest Indiana were in survival mode Thursday, enduring a ninth day without electricity after a deadly storm on Aug. 11. Downed trees and power lines have left homes dark, refrigerators warm, and daily routines in disarray.

In Gary, schools remained closed, and residents turned to social media to locate open laundromats, working Wi-Fi, and supplies like food, diapers, and cleaning wipes for low-income neighbors. Northern Indiana Public Service Co. (NIPSCO) reported 68,000 customers still without power Thursday morning, most in Lake County near the Illinois border. The utility said it has restored power to 306,500 others since the storm, but some areas, including Gary, may not see full restoration until Tuesday.

Courtney Page-Tan, an Indiana University Indianapolis professor who studies community resilience, warned that health risks grow with each day of a prolonged outage. Generators used without proper ventilation can cause carbon monoxide poisoning, medical devices may lose charge, and spoiled food can become unsafe. "Nine days is a long time for a community to be without power," she said.

Shatiya Hardin, a Gary hair stylist for 25 years, has been unable to open her salon since the storm. She said residents in her lower-income neighborhood initially took the outages in stride, but patience is wearing thin. "We're always in survival mode in Gary," Hardin said. "It's not OK for us to continually be in survival mode, doing the best that we can."

In East Chicago, some residents who regained power lost it again. Kevin Mejia, who runs a community Facebook page, said he receives hundreds of comments when he posts updates. "A lot of people have been reaching out to me for food: 'Hey, I threw out hundreds of dollars in groceries.' Elderly people don't know who to turn to," he said. Mejia has been sleeping on the floor because his mattress is too warm without air conditioning.

Raydia Martin, assistant director of the Flourish Community Hub at Flourish Church in Gary, noted the "silver lining" of volunteer and community group responses. "We thrive best, you know, as humans on certainty and predictability," Martin said. "So for something so devastating to happen so quickly, it definitely takes a toll on people mentally."

NIPSCO has called the destruction "unprecedented and widespread," with crews from across the country assisting repairs. Illinois, served by a different utility, recovered sooner from the same storm. "No service territory is the same," said Melody Birmingham, an executive at NIPSCO's parent company.

The outages have also disrupted the school year. Gary's district, with about 4,300 students, has been closed since Aug. 13 and will remain closed through at least Friday. Portage Township Schools canceled its Aug. 12 start and now plans to open Aug. 25, citing safety concerns from downed trees and property damage. Page-Tan said school closures can be detrimental for families living paycheck to paycheck, especially those who miss work due to lack of childcare.

Meanwhile, about 250 miles southeast, heavy rains caused flash flooding in Columbus, Ohio, where more than 3 inches fell in 12 hours. Emergency crews rescued motorists and saved a 12-year-old boy swept off a bridge. Mayor Andrew Ginther said the city was already cleaning up from weekend storms when the midweek rains hit. "We've been all hands on deck supporting residents since last week," he said. "We're going to be focused on recovery, even with this curveball from Mother Nature."