Nearly two weeks after a powerful storm hit Indiana, thousands of people are still living without electricity. Terry Dubois, 77 years old, is among those affected. She depends on friends for food and uses a power bank from her son to keep her phone charged. She said she has never experienced a storm as severe as this one. The wind, she recalled, felt like a solid wall.
The storms struck the US Midwest on 11 August. They caused flooding and tornadoes across the region, including Indiana and Chicago. Seven people died. Gary, an old industrial city near Lake Michigan, was hit especially hard. Wind speeds reached 99mph.
Although the worst weather lasted only a few minutes, its effects have continued. More than 345,000 customers have had their electricity restored. However, nearly 30,000 people were still without power on Sunday.
The outage has created serious problems for Gary residents. Shops, petrol stations and pharmacies initially could not operate. Some families struggled to find food. World Central Kitchen later arrived to provide meals.
The situation is especially difficult because many people in Gary already face financial hardship. About one-third of the city’s residents live in poverty.
Residents have also reported problems keeping medicines cold and caring for elderly or disabled family members. Some people have been left without lifts, while streets have remained completely dark at night.
Kyle Allen bought a generator to care for his 95-year-old father. Other families have faced similar challenges, including those who depend on electricity for medical equipment.
Frustration has now led residents to file a class-action lawsuit against Northern Indiana Public Service Company, or Nipsco. They claim poor tree management contributed to the damage. Nipsco denies wrongdoing and says it will defend itself.
Indiana Governor Mike Braun has also criticised the delays. He has asked for faster federal assistance and urged Nipsco to use every available resource. Nipsco says it is working to restore electricity as quickly as possible. It expects power to return in Gary by Wednesday.
The prolonged outage has highlighted how vulnerable communities can become after extreme weather. As climate change increases the risk of severe storms, similar disruptions could become more common.
