Gary Power Outage Leaves Thousands Without Electricity Nearly Two Weeks After Storm

Residents in Gary rely on generators, vehicles and community meal sites as restoration work continues

GARY, Indiana — A prolonged Gary power outage left an estimated 52% of the city’s residents without electricity nearly two weeks after severe weather tore through Northwest Indiana, forcing families to rely on generators, gas stations, school meal programs and neighbors as they waited for service to return.

Residents described the disruption on Friday as an exhausting extension of the storm that brought heavy rain, damaging winds and fallen trees across Gary and nearby communities. While power had gradually returned to some blocks, many households remained without refrigeration, air conditioning, internet access or reliable ways to charge phones.

Leticia Rimmer, 75, said she had turned her red Ford Fiesta into a daytime refuge because her apartment building remained without power. She spent her days listening to music, reading, doing word searches and watching movies on a portable DVD player, using ice and food purchased at a gas station to keep water and fruit cold.

Rimmer said the storm was unlike others she had experienced in Gary, recalling trees falling onto vehicles and rain that seemed relentless. She said she had not heard from her landlord and was frustrated by repeated changes to expected restoration dates.

For other residents, generators have offered only partial relief. Daniel Sheko, 31, was filling plastic fuel containers at a Clark gas station on Richard Gordon Hatcher Boulevard while trying to get breakfast home to his wife and children. Sheko said the generator allowed his family to maintain some household power during the outage, even as daily routines became more difficult.

“We’re still pushing through it,” Sheko said, noting that he continued working while his family coped with the disruption at home.

But generators have also brought new financial and safety concerns. Lavelle Taylor said he had slept poorly for 11 nights because he felt compelled to guard his roughly $1,000 generator outside his home. Taylor said a fallen tree damaged his power line and that, despite completing repairs requested on his property, his service had not yet been restored.

The extended outage has added costs for households already dealing with storm damage. Marisol Carrillo said her family bought an $800 generator, spent more on restaurant meals and worked remotely from places such as Southlake Mall and McDonald’s when home internet and electricity were unavailable. A fallen tree and downed line remained in her yard, she said.

Schools become a lifeline for nearby communities

Community organizations and schools have stepped in as residents seek food, charging stations and a place to escape dark homes. River Forest Junior-Senior High School in Hobart, which regained power after the storm, provided free lunches to people from nearby New Chicago and other affected areas.

Raymond Casillas, 35, said the outage changed how residents in his apartment building looked after one another. He said he had helped a neighbor charge her phone in his car, shared information about available services and brought her food. Casillas also used the school to charge his phone and obtain meals after throwing away spoiled groceries at home.

Cathy Doeing of Lake Station, whose home was heavily damaged when a tree fell through it, was among those helping prepare meals at the school. She said she was temporarily staying with family and expected rebuilding her home to take about a year.

The storm’s effects have stretched beyond homes. Some residents reported delayed school schedules, closed parks cluttered with debris and limited access to open restaurants and businesses. The prolonged outage has underscored how quickly a weather emergency can affect food storage, work, transportation, communications and housing across an entire region.

Northern Indiana Public Service Co., the electric utility serving the area, was continuing restoration efforts as affected residents waited for repairs, debris removal and full power service to return. No timeline for complete restoration was provided in the accounts from Friday.