Thousands in Northwest Indiana are still without power after last Tuesday’s storms. The slow pace of restoration and perceived lack of communication with NIPSCO have frustrated community leaders and residents. A Sunday night message on community restoration times did not mention several hard-hit areas. As of Monday morning at 11 a.m., NIPSCO reported 102,000 customers without power, with 75% of these outages stemming from last week’s storms. At the height of the outages, there were 301,000 reported, marking the largest outage in company history.
Johnny Brown, alongside Ray Parpart and Travis Conrad, cleared downed trees on Hamilton Street in Portage, Indiana last Thursday, demonstrating community efforts amidst power challenges.
Initially, NIPSCO estimated that 90% of customers would have power by August 18, and the remaining 10% by August 21. However, Sunday’s update omitted Gary, Munster, Highland, Lake Station, Portage, Griffith, East Chicago, and Hammond. These areas have some of the largest outages and residents expressed frustration online. NIPSCO later clarified that unmentioned communities might still be under assessment or part of a larger service area, with some cases extending beyond provided times.
Dyer Town Council President Bob Starkey voiced his frustration on Facebook, describing NIPSCO’s responses as “boilerplate.” More than 4,100 in Dyer were without power on Monday, and residents were unhappy with the lack of progress. However, Starkey later reported a productive conversation with NIPSCO President and COO Vince Parisi, indicating ongoing efforts such as addressing “source points” that supply power to Dyer.
NIPSCO issued a statement on Monday afternoon acknowledging the scale and complexity of the damage. Mobilized resources include mutual aid personnel, contractors, and support from the Indiana National Guard. They emphasized the restoration is dictated by the severity of the damage and prioritization depends on system needs and safety concerns.
Highland Town Council President George Georgeff discussed his concerns about NIPSCO’s communication failings. He plans to reach out to the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission for an investigation into NIPSCO’s handling of the emergency. Georgeff criticized the lack of pre-existing plans and pointed to increased costs due to reliance on contractors.
Lake Station Mayor Bill Carroll expressed frustration over exclusion from restoration estimates. Carroll acknowledged NIPSCO’s restoration efforts but highlighted the need for better communication and support. Cooling centers have been set up in various locations to support affected residents.
Hammond Mayor Tom McDermott Jr. highlighted continued outages in his city, urging residents to stay strong and help each other. East Chicago Mayor Anthony Copeland reported some progress but still awaits full restoration.
Ben Inskeep from Citizens Action Coalition suggested NIPSCO could seek regulatory assistance due to storm restoration costs. Utilities factor storm-related allowances into rates, but unique events may warrant additional financial consideration.
Inskeep emphasized the challenging nature of power restoration, especially following major storms affecting transmission lines. He urged patience and gratitude toward those conducting restoration work.