Since the severe storms affected parts of Northwest Indiana, knocking out power, many residents have been without electricity, with some areas not expected to have their power restored until next week.
ABC7 Chicago reports on the challenges faced by some residents affected by the power outage, particularly regarding their daily living conditions and efforts to stay cool since the storms.
Gary, Indiana resident Cynthia Bailey, for instance, showed a reporter the impact of days without electricity through a tour of her home and the effects of the power outage, from the spoiled food in the refrigerator to the unbearable heat in her house. A thermostat inside the house showed temperatures climbing into the 80s.
“This is how it feels in here. If you’re sitting here, walking, I’m sweating,” she said.
She said even opening the front door for relief is not always an option because of insects.
“If we let this door open, bugs are coming in here. So, we can’t even open the front door for air because you got bees, bugs, everything coming in here. It’s so hot,” Bailey added.
“We have no gas, no restaurants, no power. Now, we had to throw away everything at all refrigerators. And night is like Gotham City. You can’t see anything,” another Gary resident, Brittany Bankhead, said to ABC 7 News.
Indiana Gov. Mike Braun, who declared a statewide disaster emergency on August 13 and later requested a Presidential Emergency Declaration through FEMA, which was approved by President Donald Trump, released a statement in response to thousands of Hoosiers who remain without power.
“It’s unacceptable that so many Hoosiers are still without power. Our state agencies, including the Indiana National Guard, Indiana Department of Transportation, Department of Correction, Indiana State Police, and the Department of Natural Resources, are all taking unprecedented action to help NIPSCO turn the lights back on.”
“I deeply appreciate the linemen and crews who are putting in the legwork and long hours to address these outages. It’s on NIPSCO management to step up, take this seriously and restore power now,” he added.
Northern Indiana Public Service Company (NIPSCO) received complaints from residents affected by the power outage, and all are aware of the concerns, according to NBC 5 Chicago, with restoration efforts continuing across communities affected by the storms.
As of Thursday, August 20th, NIPSCO reported approximately 370,000 total outages since August 11th. About 306,500 customers have had their power restored, while approximately 63,500 customers remain without electricity, according to their website.
NIPSCO provided a restoration schedule list for the cities and towns in Indiana affected by the storm, with the deadline being 11:59 PM Central Standard Time on certain days for each area.
Dyer and East Chicago are expected to be fully restored today. Restoration is expected in Griffith, Hobart, and Merrillville on Friday, August 21; Hammond, Highland, Schererville, and Whiting on Saturday, August 22; Lake Station is expected to have power on Sunday, August 23; Munster is scheduled for Monday, August 24; and Gary and Portage are last on the list, expecting to have power on Tuesday, August 25.
The projected restoration date signifies that some residents are nearing power restoration and a return to normalcy, while others in Northwest Indiana will face several more days of dealing with the challenges of heat, spoiled food, and living without power.
