33,124 customers in Indiana remained without power for the 11th day after storms
In northwestern Indiana, 33,124 customers of the energy company remained without electricity on August 22 for the eleventh consecutive day after a series of storms that toppled trees and power lines. As The Guardian reports, the local company Northern Indiana Public Service Company (Nipsco) was working to restore electricity.
The storms and flooding began on August 11. Some residents of the city of Gary were told that electricity might not be restored until Tuesday — nearly two weeks after the severe weather began. Nipsco said it had restored power for 341,376 of the 374,500 customers who lost it because of the disaster.
Consequences of the power outage
The prolonged outages led to business closures, canceled school classes, problems charging phones and operating fuel pumps. People also reported spoiled food, shortages of candles, batteries and ice, as well as difficulties accessing food.
Gary resident Cynthia Hunter told CBS that her family charged electronic devices in their car and spent several nights in the vehicle because of the heat in their home. According to her, people are trying to adapt to the situation, but it is difficult.
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In the Aetna neighborhood of Gary, one of the hardest-hit areas, fallen trees and debris from the severe weather still lay in the streets. In total, about 300 power grid poles were damaged by the storms.
Lawsuit and assistance
Residents filed a proposed class-action lawsuit against Nipsco, accusing the company of failing to trim trees that fell on power lines. Attorney Otto Schragal called the situation foreseeable and avoidable. Nipsco rejected the allegations, saying it has a vegetation management program and has more than doubled spending on this work since 2016.
Indiana Governor Mike Braun asked the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency for an expedited major disaster declaration for 54 counties. According to his request, the severe weather caused at least three confirmed tornadoes, flash flooding and powerful straight-line winds. Winds of up to 160 km/h were recorded in Gary, while at least 28.5 cm of precipitation fell in some areas.
The severe weather in Indiana, Ohio, Illinois and Kentucky resulted in the deaths of several people. The U.S. presidential administration approved an emergency declaration for affected Indiana counties, while the state's relief fund provides emergency grants of up to $5,000.
