Gary Storm Relief Efforts Expand as Thousands Remain Without Power

Food, shelter and essential supplies remain urgent needs in Gary

GARY, Indiana — Relief organizations across Gary and northwest Indiana are expanding food distribution, shelter support and donation drives after powerful storms and prolonged outages left thousands of residents without electricity, according to local aid groups and utility updates cited Saturday.

Although power had been restored to more than 340,000 residents, thousands of NIPSCO customers were still without service roughly two weeks after the storms battered northwest Indiana. The continuing outages have increased demand for drinking water, ready-to-eat food, baby supplies, temporary housing assistance and places where residents can shower or recharge devices.

The recovery response has drawn support from faith organizations, food providers, civil-rights groups and community nonprofits. Their work is particularly significant in Gary, where local advocates say many households were already facing financial and resource challenges before the storms.

Relief groups seek food, water, diapers and volunteers

Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Gary and Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago are coordinating assistance for residents needing food, clothing, housing help and other essentials. Donations to the Diocese of Gary's storm relief effort can be made through its Storm Relief Fund.

Flourish Church and the Flourish Community Hub are asking the public for dry goods and volunteers as they continue providing support to families affected by the outages. The organization planned to hold its Family Rest & Resource Sunday even while it remained without power.

Raydia Martin, assistant director of the organization, said the most immediate needs include nonperishable food, bottled water, wipes and diapers. Some households still need generators, she said, underscoring that recovery needs will continue after electric service is restored.

“Assistance will still be needed after the storm,” Martin said. “Even before the storm, Gary was a high-need area.”

The Food Bank of Northwest Indiana has also sought volunteers for mobile markets serving affected communities. The food bank said recent internet disruptions prevented it from communicating with residents and partner agencies for several days to assess needs. Financial donors can contact Natalie Krivas at 219-980-1777, extension 315, or nkrivas@foodbanknwi.org.

Emergency fundraising supports displaced and vulnerable families

The Gary Muslim Center has raised money for emergency aid including clean water, halal hot meals, gasoline cards, clothing, diapers, emergency housing and household supplies. By Saturday evening, its online fundraiser had collected more than $28,000 from 473 donations toward a $35,000 target, after initially setting a $25,000 goal. The center also directed supply donors to an Amazon wish list.

The Gary Branch of the NAACP has partnered with local organizations on relief activity and has used its website and social-media platforms to circulate recovery resources, donation requests and volunteer opportunities.

Meanwhile, YWCA Northwest Indiana said it has power available at its facility and has offered free hot meals and showers to residents affected by the outages. Donations can be made through the organization's website.

Residents and supporters looking to help can contribute money, requested supplies or volunteer time through the listed organizations. Restoration work and community relief operations were continuing as thousands of NIPSCO customers remained without electricity.