WNN INVESTIGATES

11 DAYS IN THE DARK

Gary Residents Say the Power Outage Has Become a Community Crisis

By Dee Daniels
WNN — Women's Network News

For nearly two weeks, thousands of residents in Gary, Indiana, have been waiting for something most Americans rarely have to think about: electricity.

The powerful storms that swept through Northwest Indiana on August 11 produced winds approaching 100 miles per hour and caused widespread destruction across the region. NIPSCO has described the event as the largest outage in the company's history.

But in Gary, the question now isn't simply when will the power come back?

It's what happens to a community when the outage lasts for days—and then weeks.

WNN spoke directly with two Gary residents, Hope Rockett and Michelle Higgins, about what they and their families are experiencing.

"We just want our power."

Michelle Higgins told WNN she lives on the east side of Gary near Glen Park and has been without electricity since Tuesday, August 11.

She said residents have repeatedly heard that Tuesday could be the estimated restoration date, but she remains skeptical because of the number of damaged lines in her area.

"It's been almost 2 weeks," Higgins told WNN.

She described the experience as a nightmare.

For families relying on well water, the consequences extend beyond losing lights and air conditioning. Higgins said she believes some residents in Calumet Township have had to rely on portable toilets.

She also told WNN that children have been unable to attend school because of the continuing conditions.

That isn't just an inconvenience.

It disrupts work, childcare, education, food storage and family life.

The cost of simply getting through the day

Higgins told WNN that community members have been donating food and other resources—and she called that support a blessing.

But the expenses are mounting.

She said she is buying ice every day.

Her parents, grandmother and cousins are also still without power in different areas.

For families without generators, keeping food cold, charging phones and maintaining basic household needs becomes a daily expense.

And nationally reported conditions confirm that residents across Northwest Indiana have been lining up for food, fuel and other necessities as the outage continues.

Hope Rockett: "It's starting to be unbearable."

Hope Rockett, who is an administrator of a local community group, told WNN that residents are becoming increasingly frustrated.

She described arguments and hostility developing within local online groups as people struggle to cope with the prolonged outage.

"It's starting to be unbearable for some," Rockett said.

But she also emphasized something important:

People are paying attention.

And residents appreciate the attention because they want their community's situation recognized.

Yet, as Michelle Higgins put it:

"We just want our power at this point."

Why is it taking so long?

This is where the story gets bigger.

NIPSCO says the storm caused extraordinary damage requiring extensive reconstruction, including hundreds of damaged utility poles and transmission infrastructure. The company says crews have been working around the clock and has brought in outside assistance. On Saturday, ComEd sent more than 60 workers from Illinois to help with restoration.

But some Gary officials and residents have questioned whether vegetation management contributed to the extent of the damage.

NIPSCO disputes allegations that Gary was treated differently because of its demographics or economic circumstances, saying restoration priorities are based on the location and severity of storm damage.

That is a question WNN believes deserves examination—not assumption.

Was the infrastructure adequately maintained before the storm?

Were restoration resources deployed as quickly as possible?

Why did some communities receive power before others?

And perhaps most importantly:

What happens to a community when a natural disaster exposes weaknesses that were already there?

The WNN Bottom Line

This is no longer simply a power outage.

It is a story about infrastructure, preparedness, economic hardship, education, public communication and the human cost of a prolonged disaster.

And Gary residents are telling us the story from inside their homes.

NIPSCO's current target is to fully restore Gary by 11:59 p.m. Tuesday, August 25, although individual outages can extend beyond communitywide estimates.

Until then, thousands of residents are waiting.

Eleven days without power.

And counting.  

WNN will continue following this story.