‘Unacceptable’: US city without power for nearly 2 weeks as frustration grows

NewsAn electrical worker repairs power lines along a street in Gary, Indiana, Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026, more than a week after a deadly storm passes through the area. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)AP Photo/Nam Y. HuhBy Geoff Herbert | gherbert@syracuse.comAs fears about the U.S. power grid’s vulnerabilities grow, so does frustration in one city that’s been in the dark for nearly two weeks.Thousands of people in Gary, Indiana, have been without power since Aug. 11, when powerful storms killed at least seven people. CBS reports more than half of the city’s residents lost electricity, and the lights are not expected to come back on until Tuesday at the earliest.“It’s been absolutely horrible,” resident Shatiya Hardin told CBS News. “At night we’re sweating, we’re irritable, we have children to look out for, elderly people who need electricity for oxygen tanks.”As of Sunday, more than 28,000 customers were still without power, according to the Northern Indiana Public Service Company. Indiana Gov. Mike Braun requested an expedited major disaster declaration Thursday from FEMA for 54 counties, estimating damages from the storm’s 99 mph winds that downed trees on power lines to cost more than $5 billion.Shatiya Hardin uses a flashlight as she looks around her garage after power outages at her house in Gary, Indiana, Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026, more than a week after a deadly storm passes through the area. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh“If granted, this declaration will mean significantly more resources to accelerate Indiana’s recovery from the recent severe weather. I will do everything in my power to ensure Hoosiers have the resources needed to recover,” Braun said.Gary Mayor Eddie Melton said Sunday that it’s “unacceptable” to see the city still without power. “Twelve days is too long for parents to worry about their children, and for businesses to lose revenue, and for families to wonder when the relief is finally going to come. Today, I want the people of Gary to know this. I want you to know that I share their frustration,” Melton said, calling on NIPSCO to act faster.According to CBS, a class-action lawsuit has been filed against NIPSCO, accusing the company of failing to proactively trim trees and vegetation near power lines. NIPSCO refuted the allegations, saying its “vegetation management spend has more than doubled since 2016.”At the peak of the storm, more than 374,000 residents had lost power. NIPSCO said its work over the past 13 days has included replacing 300 poles and 44 power transmission poles, with assistance from ComEd, the largest electric company in Illinois.Still 10,712 residents were in the dark on Monday afternoon, according to NIPSCO’s website.And frustration remains in Gary, one of the nation’s poorest cities, where people have struggled to find relief from food pantries or gone to community centers just to charge their phones.“We’re going to revisit what should we do better from an emergency management standpoint,” Milton told CBS. “But going back to the utility side, what I’m going to encourage and demand is that we start having more accountability.”Geoff "DeafGeoff" Herbert is a Reporter and Content Supervisor for Advance Local. He covers a wide range of topics including entertainment, national news and trending topics, plus specializes in search engine...