Gary residents remain without power nearly a week after severe storms

GARY, Ind. - As of Monday night, there are still tens of thousands of residents in Northwest Indiana after last Tuesday's severe storms.

Power outages continue in northwest Indiana

What we know:

The storms knocked down trees and power lines across the region.

Cynthia White, who has lived at her home in Gary for about 40 years, called it one of the worst storms she has ever experienced. She remembers being caught in the storm while driving on Indianapolis Boulevard. 

White said the winds became so strong she could barely see and drivers were forced to pull over.

"You couldn't even see the building," said White. "The winds were just that strong."

White said the lack of electricity has been difficult, particularly because of the amount of food she has had to throw away. Her refrigerator and deep freezer are now empty after food spoiled during the prolonged outage. 

She said she was able to save one package of chicken wings by cooking them on her grill.

"Everything else was destroyed," said White.

She said her family has been able to use battery-powered lights and lanterns at night, while opening the curtains and blinds during the day to let in natural light. Despite the frustration, White said she believes residents need to remain patient and give utility crews room to work. She also expressed concern about reports of workers being targeted while making repairs.

"We need to just calm down and just wait for the service to come up," said White.

Reginald Branch said the storm was also the worst he has experienced in his 34 years. He was supposed to report to work Tuesday but stayed home after being warned about the severe weather. Branch said the sky turned green and the storm intensified quickly. He took shelter in his basement with his pets. When he came back upstairs, Branch said he found power lines in his pool and a gazebo flipped upside down in the water.

"A large boom went and it just flashed a light," said Branch.

He said he has repeatedly contacted NIPSCO about the downed lines in his backyard. Branch said he was told the area was hazardous and that the fire department would be sent out, but he said he has not heard back. The outage has also affected his job. Branch works at Community HealthNet nearby and said he had been unable to work since the storm. 

He said the facility reopened, but he has not been paid for the days he missed. For Branch, the biggest issue is communication. He said he wants NIPSCO to provide clearer information about when crews will arrive and when electricity could be restored.

"My message would be to be more clear. You know, tell us what's going on so we can be at ease," said Branch.

He also said crews need to communicate even when the expected timeline changes.

"If they said that they were gonna come and they couldn't, just communicate and say, 'hey, we're gonna come on this day or another day,'" added Branch.

White took a different approach, saying she believes NIPSCO crews are doing what they can under difficult circumstances. She said the widespread damage is why the area needs additional help from other utility crews. But she also said the situation has been especially difficult for residents who have lost food, income and access to normal household necessities.

"We all should just work together on this and just be diligent and patient," said White.

What we don't know:

It is not clear from the interviews when White's or Branch's individual power will be restored. Branch also said he is concerned about what he should do when electricity is eventually restored because of the downed lines and other damage in his backyard.

What's next:

NIPSCO confirmed Monday 90% of its customers will have their power restored by Tuesday at 11:59 p.m. and 100% of its customers will have their power restored by Friday at 11:59 p.m. 

Residents are waiting for crews to continue repairs across Gary and other communities hit hard by Tuesday's storm.

GaryNews