Thousands in Gary, Indiana continue to face power outage days after deadly storms; voice frustration, file lawsuit

Residents of Gary, Indiana, continue to face power outages days after severe storms struck the area, leaving over 30,100 customers of Northern Indiana Public Service Company (NIPSCO) without electricity as of Saturday, according to CBS News. Shatiya Hardin, a local resident, described the situation as "absolutely horrible," noting that families are living in survival mode without reliable power.

Many have been relying on community centers for basic needs like hot meals and phone charging. A class-action lawsuit has been filed against NIPSCO, accusing the utility of failing to clear vegetation around power lines, which contributed to the widespread outages. However, NIPSCO denies these claims, stating that their vegetation management spending has increased since 2016.

The utility expects full restoration to be completed by August 25, but Indiana Governor Mike Braun has called for an expedited major disaster declaration to provide more resources for recovery. Gary Mayor Eddie Milton has called for increased accountability from the utility, while acknowledging that the situation is not unique to Gary but affects northwest Indiana as a whole.