Impact of the Storm
Janie Gray, a resident of Portage, faced the terrifying ordeal of having three trees crash onto her house during the August 11 derecho. The storm caused widespread damage throughout the city.
Gray recounts the moment she heard a huge boom while grabbing her emergency bag. Fortunately, her family remained unharmed, despite the area being heavily affected. “It didn’t even look like my neighborhood. It was so devastating,” Gray reflected, noting the significant alterations the storm inflicted on the landscape.
A neighbor experienced extensive damage as trees collapsed onto the road. Gray has managed to keep her eight children safe despite being without power for 11 days. According to NIPSCO’s outage website, as of 3 p.m. on Saturday, 30,789 customers were still without electricity. This outage included over 3,870 people in Portage and around 17,500 in Gary.
The utility company projects power restoration for Portage and Gary by Tuesday evening, two weeks after the storm’s 99 mph winds wreaked havoc across the region.
Community Support and Recovery Efforts
Across the region, efforts to support storm-stricken residents have been gaining momentum. The Chicago Bears recently pledged $100,000 each to the Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago and the Diocese of Gary. Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana also contributed $100,000 to the Calumet Township Trustee’s Office to aid recovery.
Portage Strong Event
The city of Portage hosted the Portage Strong
event at Founders Square. Here, residents gathered for food, games, and emotional support, celebrating their resilience in the face of adversity. Mayor Austin Bonta emphasized the community’s spirit and cooperation: “This is not a celebration of the power being back on.
Rather, the event was a celebration of the community’s response to the disaster. We have not completed our city’s recovery.” The event provided a much-needed opportunity for residents to relax and appreciate the progress made since the storm.
Personal Stories from Residents
Daniella Douglas and her family have been navigating life without power for 10 days. The derecho prompted them to shelter in place, and it led to significant losses, including spoiled food and missed work. Douglas and her family surveyed the neighborhood damage, noting the destruction of vehicles and trees sprawled on homes.
Jessica and Andrew Law, along with their four children, remain confined to one room due to only partial generator power. They bear the financial burden of keeping the generator running, costing $50 a day.
Long-term Recovery Efforts
Volunteerism plays a crucial role in recovery. Residents like Wayne Antusas and Morgan Luna are leading initiatives to mobilize community support. Luna is motivated to assist those without friends or neighbors to lean on. Councilwoman Gina Giese-Hurst shared her experiences helping residents and highlighted the importance of voluntary efforts. She observed the community’s healing process as individuals come together.
The Portage Ready team continues to enroll volunteers, ensuring prolonged recovery in the city. Mayor Bonta reiterated the importance of celebrating recovery milestones, encouraging the communal spirit to endure throughout the rebuilding process.
“Every day at City Hall at 10 am, there’s people showing up to help,” Giese-Hurst noted, capturing the dedication driving the recovery efforts.