12 Days Dark: Gary Holds the Line in NIPSCO's Largest Blackout

More than 20,000 people were still without power in northwest Indiana nearly two weeks after severe storms tore through the region, leaving whole blocks in Gary to stretch extension cords, coolers and daylight into a second week. ⁹ Twelve days after the wind, thousands were still struggling without light, refrigeration or air conditioning in the August heat. ⁴ The number that matters is not only how many remain dark, but how long they have waited: 10 days, then 11, then 12, with no switch yet closed for them. ^{3 4}

What hit on August 11, 2026 was described as a derecho with straight-line winds and two tornadoes, a fast-moving wall of wind that leveled trees and power lines across the region. ^{8 7} The winds measured 99 mph, according to the Sun-Times account of how Gary went dark. ² In Portage, the derecho mowed down trees, and across Lake and Porter counties poles, wires and transmission structures came down together. ¹⁰ It became the largest power outage in the history of NIPSCO, the Northern Indiana Public Service Company. ⁸

Seven people died, a 4-year-old boy, three men and three women, according to authorities cited in the storm aftermath reporting. ¹⁰ CNN and the Associated Press described the event as deadly storms, and a week later tens of thousands were still without power. ^{5 10} By August 20, tens of thousands remained without power more than a week after the storms, with crews still working street by street. ⁵ In Griffith, crews were still restoring power on August 18, more than a week in. ⁵

Gary became the epicenter, the place where the regional outage concentrated and lingered longest. ^{6 8} On Thursday, August 20, NIPSCO said more than 61% of its Gary customers were still without power. ⁶ That share explains why state attention, cameras and frustration all moved toward one city, even as outages continued elsewhere in northwest Indiana. ^{6 3} Residents blame NIPSCO for the duration, while reporting on why Gary's outage has lasted so long points to severe, system-level damage rather than a few downed neighborhood lines. ^{8 2}

NIPSCO announced power would be fully restored in the city by Tuesday, but residents say the company has repeatedly pushed back the restoration date. ⁶ That pattern — a promise, a missed date, a new date — is what turned a weather disaster into a credibility crisis. ⁶ On the 11th day, Indiana Gov. Mike Braun urged NIPSCO to move faster on repairs, even as advocates and faith leaders called on the state to step up its own recovery efforts. ⁷

In Gary, the outage stopped being about flickering lights and became about food, medicine and money. ^{4 11} Households reported refrigerators and freezers spoiled, families cooking food at local parks before it spoils, and medical complications from the loss of refrigeration and powered devices. ¹¹ Terry Dubois, 77, relied on friends for non-perishable food and a son-provided power bank to get through. ⁴ Resident Krimberly Guajardo was photographed among tree debris on her Gary property, a reminder that wind damage and electrical damage arrived together. ²

The hardship landed hardest in a predominantly Black city where many residents say they are getting no help. ¹¹ NBC's reporting from nearly two weeks after the storms documented residents cooking outdoors, losing groceries and medication, and facing medical complications while waiting for restoration. ¹¹ Julene Anderson, a 61-year-old Gary mother, still had no power 11 days after the storm. ⁸ WFYI's reporting from August 22 found parts of Gary still without power, with residents blaming NIPSCO directly. ⁸

That plea, recorded as Gary residents neared the two-week mark, captures the shift from storm cleanup to endurance. ⁶ Schools, shifts, elevators, dark streets and hotel stays all compound when power does not return overnight, and hourly and service workers feel each lost day in wages. ^{4 11} The Sun-Times exploration of why Gary stayed dark points to the scale of wind damage, while the lived experience in the city points to how uneven a long outage feels when one municipality holds the largest share of the remaining dark homes. ^{2 6}