Northwest Indiana

Indiana Gov. Mike Braun, FEMA Administrator Cameron Hamilton and Gary Mayor Eddie Melton toured storm-hit areas and briefed reporters in Gary nearly three weeks after an Aug. 11 derecho knocked out power to hundreds of thousands across Northwest Indiana, an event officials called the region's worst in a century. Braun and Hamilton also visited Carmel and Connersville to assess flood damage. Gary still has customers without power due to damaged weatherheads, though the Legacy Foundation is helping residents cover repair costs. Melton renewed calls for an investigation into NIPSCO's outage response, citing outages lasting more than two weeks for some residents.

President Trump approved a major disaster declaration for Indiana about a week earlier, unlocking additional FEMA resources; officials credited bipartisan cooperation for the fast turnaround. FEMA is running intake centers across Lake County. The American Red Cross' Gary shelter, the state's largest, still housed over 100 people as of Sunday, part of 179 sheltered statewide, with transitional housing assistance ongoing.

Nearly two weeks after an Aug. 11 derecho struck Northwest Indiana, thousands of residents in Gary's Calumet Township remain without power and, in some cases, working sewage, since a recently installed sewage system depends on electricity. As of Monday afternoon, about 6,533 Gary residents still lacked power, with NIPSCO projecting restoration for Gary and Portage by late Tuesday.

Volunteers, including World Central Kitchen and the Lake Ridge Fire Protection District, have distributed roughly 9,000 meals and set up portable showers and restrooms, though residents have raised concerns about accessibility for people with disabilities. Gary Mayor Eddie Melton has pressed for federal disaster aid, meeting with Sen. Jim Banks and speaking with President Trump about accelerating FEMA support.

Indiana Gov. Mike Braun has asked state regulators to investigate NIPSCO's storm preparation and response, questioning whether the utility properly maintained infrastructure. NIPSCO says roughly 374,500 customers were affected and has pledged cooperation with any regulatory review while restoration continues.