Thousands struggling without power in Indiana 12 days after severe storms
In the town of Gary, where a third of residents live in poverty, people say they have been living in "survival mode".
Nearly two weeks after a severe storm struck Indiana, Terry Dubois is among tens of thousands still without power. The 77-year-old relies on friends to bring her non-perishable food and a power bank for communication. Dubois acknowledges the storm's intensity, describing it as "a sheer wall of wind." The storm, which brought flooding and tornadoes on August 11, particularly affected Gary, a former industrial town along Lake Michigan.
While power has been restored to over 345,000 customers, nearly 30,000 remain without it as of Sunday. The outage has left many struggling with food scarcity, maintaining hygiene, and accessing medication. Some residents have resorted to using generators, while others face dangerous conditions due to dark roads without functioning streetlights.
A class-action lawsuit accuses the utility company Nipsco of negligence in tree management, causing power lines to collapse during the storm. Nipsco denies liability and vows to defend itself in court. Faith leaders have gathered to demand immediate assistance, urging Nipsco to provide resources to those in need. Governor Mike Braun has called for a faster major disaster declaration to unlock additional aid and has urged Nipsco to deploy more crews to expedite the restoration process.
Written by urgent.news from BBC World's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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