Northwest Indiana braces for more severe weather while cleanup from last week's storms continues

PORTAGE, Ind. - Northwest Indiana communities are preparing for another round of severe weather Wednesday while recovery efforts continue from last week's storms that caused widespread damage and power outages.

What we know:

In Portage, city officials opened multiple shelters ahead of the expected storms, including locations at Woodland Park, Northwest Health and the YMCA.

As of Wednesday morning, NIPSCO reported 172 customers in Portage remained without power. More than 1,000 outages were reported in nearby Merrillville.

Portage Mayor Austin Bonta said city leaders wanted to be better prepared after last week's storms caught many people off guard.

"Last Thursday, we just did not realize the weather was going to get as severe as it would and as close to us as it did and so learning from that and just realizing that we wanted to make sure that with this storm tonight we have our shelter ready to go," Bonta told FOX Chicago.

Officials are encouraging residents to sign up for weather alerts and emergency notifications as another round of severe weather approaches.

Indiana storm cleanup continues

While crews have made significant progress removing storm debris, cleanup work is ongoing across the city.

Bonta credited city crews for quickly clearing major road hazards, including downed trees and other large debris that blocked streets following last week's storms.

According to the mayor, crews focused on reopening roadways and restoring access for residents, though some debris remains in residential neighborhoods.

Carbon monoxide deaths prompt warning

The new severe weather threat comes as officials continue highlighting generator safety following two deaths linked to carbon monoxide poisoning.

The Porter County Coroner's Office said 68-year-old Salvatore Fogu and his wife, 65-year-old Deborah Fogu, both of Palos Hills, Illinois, died from accidental carbon monoxide poisoning at Lakeshore Camp Resort in Portage.

Portage Fire Chief Chris Crail said the incident was "extremely sad and unfortunate" and that the couple was using a generator following last Thursday's storms knocked out power across the area.

According to Crail, the generator was not inside the couple's home, but outside, positioned close to an air conditioning unit and a window.

City and fire officials are reminding residents never to operate generators inside homes, garages or near windows, doors or vents. Officials recommend keeping generators at least 20 feet away from buildings to reduce the risk of carbon monoxide exposure.

Mike Caplan's forecast

What's next:

Another round of potentially severe weather is expected to move through the region Wednesday, beginning in the morning and clearing out in the evening.

We open with showers and thunderstorms moving into our area by mid-morning from the west. There is a chance of strong winds with this activity along with heavy rainfall. Perhaps the higher risk of severe weather with this initial wave will remain displaced well to our southwest. This is enough to warrant the beginning of a flood watch for our viewing area, which will continue into the evening.

How this early activity evolves will dictate to at least some measure what happens in the afternoon and early evening. This will require us to keep a close eye on forecast trends because the potential exists for part of our area to have tornadoes.

I believe there will be a distinct southern bias towards the strongest storms this afternoon, particularly south of I-80. This does not mean that there can’t or won’t be severe weather north of that highway. All this being said, there is a chance that all the severe weather this afternoon targets Central Illinois. Our weather team will be on top of this and provide necessary updates through the day and early evening.

The risk of severe weather should exit or viewing area around 8 p.m. This will be followed by a period of tranquil weather for a few days.