A Prolonged Blackout in Gary

In Gary, Indiana, a city on the southern shore of Lake Michigan, roughly 70,000 residents are enduring an 11th day without electricity. The Aug. 11 storm, preliminarily identified by the National Weather Service as a derecho, brought wind gusts peaking at 99 mph, toppling trees and power lines. The storm killed at least seven people and displaced about 1,000, according to CBS News. In Gary, more than half of residents lost power, and one in three lives in poverty, per U.S. Census data cited by CBS News.

Residents describe a community in crisis. Shatia Hardin, a local hair stylist, told CBS News: "It's been absolutely horrible. At night we're sweating, we're irritable, we have children to look out for, elderly people who need electricity." Kyle Allen, another resident, told the BBC that some roads are "pitch black" without streetlights, while 77-year-old Terry Dubois, reliant on friends and a power bank, said she's never seen a storm like it in her life. Another resident, Jack Tipold, told the BBC he found himself in the middle of dental surgery when the power failed and was discharged without adequate pain medication.

Utilities Under Scrutiny

The prolonged outage has prompted a political and legal campaign against NIPSCO, the region's utility. Indiana Gov. Mike Brown described the situation as "unacceptable" and has directed the Indiana Office of Utility Consumer Counselor to file a complaint and petition the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission to investigate NIPSCO. The investigation will examine whether funding approved by regulators for infrastructure and reliability improvements was spent as promised, according to a statement from the governor reported by FOX 9. Braun, in a news release, called NIPSCO "a monopoly utility that Hoosiers pay every month... [and that] has failed to keep its end of the bargain."

NIPSCO responded by saying it "values the regulatory process and will cooperate fully" if the commission opens an investigation. The company says it has "engaged additional contractor crews" and is "working around the clock" to restore power, but it has also called the damage "unprecedented and widespread," with an estimated 300 utility poles down.

Residents and Officials

On Sunday, Gary Mayor Eddie Melton said in a video address that "12 days is too long for families to be without power," as over 14,500 outages remained in Gary. By Monday, that number had dropped to 10,187. Melton described the restoration as unacceptable and told reporters that he has been "pressing" NIPSCO to work faster, and said the company has "pushed them" but that "it's not enough."

Residents have filed a class-action lawsuit through the Allen Law Group, alleging NIPSCO "failed to trim trees that brought down the power lines." Attorney Otto Shragal told CBS News that "this situation was predictable. It was obvious and was preventable." NIPSCO denied the allegations, saying its vegetation management "spends has more than doubled since 2016."

Relief and Community Response

Amid the frustration, community-driven relief efforts have emerged. Food critic Keith Lee and NBA star Tyrese Haliburton each pledged $15,000 to support a giveaway at Roosevelt High School, where 2,000 relief kits were distributed alongside 1,000 sandwiches, chips, and drinks. The event was organized by the city, the Salvation Army, and Ace Hardware. Volunteer Sylvain Martin, director of planning and zoning for Gary, told the Chicago Tribune, "It was the community that pulled itself together." In a separate effort, World Central Kitchen arrived to help feed residents without access to food.

Earlier, the city contracted Egis Group, Thompson Consulting Services, and AshBritt to assist with debris removal and recovery efforts, and the mayor said he has contracted the firms to work more quickly.

The Human Toll

For many, the outage has severe health and safety implications. Indiana University professor Courtney Page-Tan told the outlet that health concerns grow each day, including carbon monoxide poisoning risk from generators and spoiling of medically critical drugs. Resident Rutha Taylor, who relies on a heart monitor, said doctors cannot monitor her while the power is off.

Student disruptions are widespread. Gary's school district, with about 4,300 students, has been closed since Aug. 13, and students are to return July 25. Portage Township Schools canceled its Aug. 12 start and planned a later opening.

The outage has also heightened concerns about systemic inequities, as Freddie Gibbs, a Gary-born rapper, argued that the storm exposed long-term infrastructure neglect: "This is not a problem started by the storm. This is an infrastructure problem Gary has." He added, "We are predominantly a predominantly Black city that tends to get ignored." Civil rights leaders, including Bernice King, have voiced similar along those lines, saying such blackouts are "part of a pattern," while ACLU Indiana stressed that relief must reach every community "quickly and equitably."

NIPSCO's Defense

NIPSCO maintains that restoration times have reflected the storm's severity, not income or race, and says it happens a vested billions in infrastructure and vegetation management. However, Ben Inskeep, director of the Citizens Action Coalition, told reporters that the company's approach to utility regulation and rate structures has allowed NIPSCO to invest in tracker mechanisms that don't necessarily shore up long-term reliability. He noted that the company has filed three rate increases to request customers for these trackers, amounting to $7.33 per month.

As the investigation looms, the immediate question remains for the thousands of residents still in the dark: For how many more days will the lights stay off?