Nearly two weeks after a historic derecho, power has returned to most of Gary, Indiana—but the outage laid bare the city’s vulnerability and sparked a fight over how quickly utilities restore service.
On August 11, 2026, a fast-moving derecho tore across northwest Indiana with straight-line winds that reached 99 mph at Gary/Chicago International Airport—comparable to a Category 2 hurricane. Saturated soil from prior rain made trees easy to uproot. They crashed into homes, streets, and an electrical grid that relies heavily on overhead lines.
Northern Indiana Public Service Company (NIPSCO) called it the largest outage in company history. Roughly 374,500 to 375,000 customers lost power across the region. Gary, a city of about 68,000, was hit hardest: around 38,000 to 40,000 customers went dark.
A snapped tree rests against a house in Gary after the August 11 derecho.
NIPSCO officials said the damage in Gary was among the most extensive they had ever seen. Crews assessed about 2,000 miles of lines on foot. They found hundreds of utility poles that needed replacement rather than simple repair—reports cited 291 to 335 damaged distribution poles, plus 44 transmission poles and 27 substation outages. In many places, entire sections of the system had to be rebuilt.
Restoration dragged on far longer than in many neighboring communities. NIPSCO targeted midnight August 25 for substantial completion in Gary and Portage, the last major holdouts. As of the morning of August 26, the utility reported 99 percent of affected customers had power again, with 637 still out, mostly in Lake County.
The wait was brutal in late-summer heat. Residents threw out spoiled food, washed clothes in sinks, and lined up for boxed meals from churches and charities. Schools closed. Some people with medical devices struggled. Water-main breaks led to boil advisories in parts of the city. Community groups and the Indiana National Guard stepped in while NIPSCO brought in contractor and mutual-aid crews from across the country.
A resident surveys downed trees and debris outside a Gary home.
Frustration boiled over. Gary Mayor Eddie Melton called the pace “unacceptable.” Governor Mike Braun accused NIPSCO of failing to match the urgency of the disaster and asked the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission to investigate the company’s preparation and response. NIPSCO said it would cooperate and attributed delays to the sheer scale of destruction, not to neglect of any particular community. Some residents and commentators pointed to Gary’s demographics—roughly 80 percent Black and about one-third living in poverty—and asked why restoration seemed slower there than across the state line in Illinois, where ComEd restored service more quickly. Utility executives insisted the timeline followed the engineering reality of the damage.
The lights are mostly back on. Debris still lines streets, and questions about grid resilience, vegetation management, and equitable recovery remain. For thousands of families who spent nearly two weeks in the dark, the storm was not just a weather event. It was a test the city—and its utility—did not pass quickly enough.
SOURCES:
NIPSCO power outage update: Gary, Indiana power restored for most; severe weather outlook tomorrow includes tornado chance – ABC7 Chicago
Power finally restored in US city after 2 weeks in the dark – but more storms on way – syracuse.com
Parts of Gary, Indiana, still without power after severe storms | AP News
Governor calls for investigation into power company after lengthy power outage ends in Northern Indiana – ABC News
Indiana power outages: Gov. Braun demands NIPSCO investigation as Gary residents hit day 13
