Several residents of Gary, Indiana, are still waiting for their electricity to be restored after powerful storms battered northwest Indiana beginning 11 August, killing at least seven people, displacing about 1,000 and causing record rainfall that flooded several communities.

More than half of Gary's residents have been facing power outages after the storm knocked out electricity in the area, where roughly one in three people live in poverty, CBS News reported on Saturday (local time), citing US Census data.

As of Saturday, over 30,100 customers of the Northern Indiana Public Service Company, the area's electrical utility provider, were still without power. At the height of the storms, some 374,500 customers had no electricity.

Speaking with CBS News, Shatiya Hardin, a local, said, "It's been absolutely horrible," and added, "At night we're sweating, we're irritable, we have children to look out for, elderly people who need electricity for oxygen tanks."

Hardin said, "It's not OK for us to continually be in survival mode. We don't have service in this area at all whatsoever. At night, the streets, the roads, everything is pitch black besides the lights from the cars."

Many residents of the region have been dependent on a community centre for basic needs such as a hot meal, air conditioning and a chance to charge their phones.

A class-action lawsuit was filed against NIPSCO earlier this week, accusing the utility of failing to take preventive measures to clear vegetation around power lines. The lawsuit claims that fallen trees and overgrown vegetation were the main reasons behind the widespread power outages.

However, the company has denied the claims and said that its "vegetation management spend has more than doubled since 2016." In a statement to CBS News, NIPSCO said, "We strongly disagree with the characterization of NIPSCO's vegetation management practices."

Earlier this week, a NIPSCO executive told AP that full restoration in the region is not expected before 25 August. Melody Birmingham, an executive at NIPSCO’s parent company, noted that roughly 300 poles and 44 transmission poles needed to be repaired or replaced in Gary in the aftermath of the storm, which carried winds of 99 mph (159 kilometres per hour).

Indiana Governor Mike Braun on Thursday sought an expedited major disaster declaration from FEMA covering 54 counties, estimating that damage from the storm and its aftermath could exceed $5 billion.

In a social media post, he wrote, "If granted, this declaration will mean significantly more resources to accelerate Indiana's recovery from the recent severe weather."

Gary Mayor Eddie Milton said, "We're going to revisit what we should do better from an emergency management standpoint," and added, "But going back to the utility side, what I'm going to encourage and demand is that we start having more accountability."

Milton also acknowledged that locals were "frustrated and exhausted" but noted that over 600 linemen were working to restore power in the city. He added, "I want to reiterate this is clearly not just a Gary situation. It is a northwest Indiana situation."

It remains to be seen when the people of Gary will finally regain full and uninterrupted access to electricity.

Swati Gandhi is a digital journalist with over four years of experience, specialising in international and geopolitical issues. Her work focuses on foreign policy, global power shifts, and the political and economic forces shaping international relations, with a particular emphasis on how global developments affect India. She approaches journalism with a strong belief in context-driven reporting, aiming to break down complex global events into clear, accessible narratives for a wide readership.

Previously, Swati has worked at Business Standard, where she covered a range of beats including national affairs, politics, and business. This diverse newsroom experience helped her build a strong grounding in reporting, while also strengthening her ability to work across both breaking news and in-depth explanatory stories. Covering multiple beats early in her career has helped her be informed about her current work, allowing her to connect domestic developments with wider international trends.

At Live Mint, she focuses on international and geopolitical issues through a business and economic lens, examining how global political developments, foreign policy decisions, and power shifts impact markets, industries, and India’s strategic and economic interests.

She holds a Bachelor’s degree in English (Honours) from the University of Delhi and a Master’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University. Her academic training has shaped her emphasis on precision, analytical rigour, and clarity in writing. Her interests include global political economy and the intersection of geopolitics with business.

Outside work, Swati focuses on exploring her passion and love for food. From fancy cafes to street spots, Swati explores food like a true foodie.

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