A power outage that began after a powerful derecho swept through Northwest Indiana on August 11 has left approximately 21,000 customers in Gary without electricity for more than a week, with full restoration not expected until August 25. The storm, which produced winds up to 99 mph, initially knocked out power to over 300,000 customers across the region and caused widespread flooding and tree damage.
As of August 20, about 20,000 to 26,880 customers in Gary remained without power and air conditioning, according to reports from PBS News and the Chicago Tribune. The extended outage has forced residents to cope without basic utilities in a predominantly Black city where a third of the population lives below the poverty line.
The August 11 derecho was confirmed by the National Weather Service as a rare, destructive windstorm. It produced straight-line winds that downed trees and power lines across a wide area, with a peak gust of 99 mph recorded in Gary. The storms also spawned multiple tornadoes and caused severe flooding across Indiana, Illinois, and Ohio. Seven people died in Indiana as a result of the storms.
Local officials have scrambled to respond to the crisis. Gary Mayor Eddie Melton stated, “We are standing with you. We are praying with you. We are also providing as much resources and support as possible,” and announced that the city would provide residents with three hot meals a day, tarps, and charging stations. The utility company NIPSCO acknowledged that repairs are complicated because entire transmission systems need to be replaced in some cases.
Melody Birmingham, president of NiSource Utilities (NIPSCO’s parent company), told PBS News Hour that “these are lines that ordinarily take us and systems that ordinarily take weeks or months that we are trying to accomplish in days and/or weeks.” She stated that NIPSCO’s restoration plan for Gary carries a 95% confidence level for completion by 11:59 p.m. on August 25.
Residents have described the mental and practical toll of the prolonged outage. One Gary resident told PBS, “We are now on day 10 no power in Gary, Indiana. This is mentally challenging for so many people. People cannot work. People cannot do — live their everyday lives how they used to live them.” Others have reported critical challenges, such as diabetic residents unable to refrigerate insulin.
The power outage has drawn attention to broader infrastructure vulnerabilities. In August 2026, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission warned that the U.S. grid faces significant blackout risk from aging infrastructure, a concern that the Gary outage underscores. Similar widespread power outages have affected thousands across the state following severe weather events, highlighting the region’s vulnerability to major storms.
Residents have been advised to check their utility’s outage map for restoration updates. Schools in Gary have remained closed throughout the extended outage, and the city has opened cooling centers to help residents cope with the heat.
Sources
- PBS News Hour — confirmed 20,000 customers in Gary without power and air conditioning as of August 20; reported the August 11 derecho, 100 mph winds, initial 300,000 customer outage, and restoration timeline to August 25
- Chicago Tribune — reported 26,880 customers without power in Gary as of August 20 and NIPSCO’s restoration timeline
- National Weather Service — confirmed the August 11 derecho with peak wind gust of 99 mph in Gary and details of the storm’s extent
- Instagram / Social Media — documented the 21,000 homes and businesses without power after the severe storms on August 11
- NIPSCO Outage Map — confirmed restoration target of August 25, 11:59 p.m. for Gary and Portage with 95% confidence level
- New York Times — reported on the outage’s impact in Gary, where a third of residents live below the poverty line
