12 Days of Darkness in Gary
The fierce 11‑August storm left mighty gusts of up to 99 mph in its wake, toppling power lines and causing widespread flooding in Gary, Indiana.
Nearly 30,000 residents remained without electricity a week after the storms, while the local utility Nipsco pledged to have power restored across the city by the following Wednesday. Tens of thousands of families have gone without refrigerator‑grade cold or working medical devices, and older and disabled residents have struggled to keep their homes livable with generators.
One 77‑year‑old resident, Terry Dubois, has spent the last two weeks relying on friends for food, a power bank for her phone, and a faint seam of canned goods that keeps her family fed.
The storm prompted a class‑action lawsuit against Nipsco, alleging that the utility’s failure to maintain trees and power lines led to prolonged outages. Governor Mike Braun has demanded that the Federal Emergency Management Agency expedite a major disaster declaration to unlock additional aid.
Community leaders, like Archbishop Allen, called on officials to "release the resources to our brothers and sisters" as the blackout drags on. In the meantime, volunteers from World Central Kitchen have supplied hot meals, and local residents have turned to ice to stay cool in hot temperatures.
