08/19/2026
Over 100,000 residents across Northwest Indiana remain without electricity nearly a week after a devastating EF-1 tornado and severe storms hit the region. Families in Gary, Indiana are experiencing severe hardships, with many throwing away hundreds of dollars in spoiled food, struggling to stay cool, and lacking reliable ways to charge devices. Northern Indiana Public Service Company (NIPSCO) described the event as the largest storm-related outage in its history.
Widespread downed trees still block secondary streets, and the majority of traffic lights across Gary remain completely out. Emergency mobile food pantries, like the one hosted at West Side Leadership Academy, completely ran out of supplies due to high demand.
Displaced residents are expressing frustration over a perceived lack of clear communication and updates from utility operators regarding exact restoration timelines.
The utility provider, NIPSCO, aimed to have 90% of affected customers restored by Tuesday night and full 100% restoration completed by Friday at 11:59 p.m.. However, some of the hardest-hit neighborhoods like Munster and Highland could face extended outages lasting up to two weeks from the initial storm.
Grassroots networks like the Gary Food Collective are stepping in to mobilize hot meals and water, while ComEd crews from neighboring Illinois have crossed state lines to bolster the recovery workforce.