Severe Storms Leave 20000 Without Power in Northwest Indiana

More than 20,000 residents across northwest Indiana remain without electricity as of Sunday, Aug. 23, 2026, nearly two weeks after a catastrophic derecho and eight confirmed tornadoes devastated the region with wind gusts reaching up to 100 mph.

The severe weather, which hit on Aug. 11, initially knocked out power to more than 400,000 customers. Seven fatalities have been confirmed, including a 4-year-old boy, three men, and three women, according to Indiana Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Liz Woods.

The widespread outages have left cities including Gary, Portage, Munster, Highland, and Griffith severely impacted. In Gary, where at least 17,000 citizens lacked power over the weekend, Mayor Eddie Melton confirmed that over 600 linemen are working to restore the grid.

"I want to reiterate this is clearly not just a Gary situation. It is a northwest Indiana situation," said Eddie Melton, Gary Mayor.

Utility provider Northern Indiana Public Service Company estimated full power restoration for Gary, Munster, and Highland will not occur until Tuesday, Aug. 25. The delay has prompted Indiana Gov. Mike Braun to activate the National Guard and demand faster action from the utility company, while President Donald Trump approved a federal emergency declaration.

NIPSCO parent company NiSource Inc. faced intense scrutiny for its handling of the crisis, particularly after announcing $140 million in shareholder dividends around the same time as the prolonged blackouts. Executives defended the timeline, citing complex structural repairs involving roughly 300 fallen poles and 44 transmission poles in Gary alone.

"When I say complex, these aren't simple repairs. These are systems that are being rebuilt," said Melody Birmingham, Executive Vice President of NiSource.

Civil rights groups and community advocates raised concerns over systemic inequity, noting slow relief in Gary, a majority-Black municipality. In response to allegations that lower-income communities were being neglected, utility leadership denied discrimination, pointing to widespread infrastructure destruction across all socio-economic demographics.

"Black communities have too often been expected to endure conditions that would be treated as intolerable somewhere else," said Bernice King, Civil Rights Leader.

Resident frustrations continue to grow as food spoils, water boil advisories remain in place, and public schools face ongoing closures. Local leaders in towns like Griffith reported communication breakdowns with utility management, with police officers conducting door-to-door welfare checks as cleanup operations continue.