Energy · 70,000 still dark70,000 Still Dark in Indiana 10 Days After 100-MPH WindsAired August 23, 2026 at 7:28 PM UTCWritten September 7, 2026 at 9:22 PM UTCRead the write-upThis storyTranscript · LOADING0:00More than 70,000 homes and businesses0:02are still dark in Northwest Indiana, 100:04days after 100 mph winds tore down0:06transmission lines. Entire neighborhoods0:08run on generators, ice, and daylight.0:10The scale leaves food, insulin, and0:12oxygen equipment at risk across Lake and0:14Porter counties. Will the promise that0:16power returns by Tuesday hold for all0:1770,000 still waiting? The count on the0:19morning of August 20 was more than0:2170,000 customers without power.0:23>> [music]0:23>> That is 10 days after the August 110:25storm, and the hard number shows0:27progress and its limit at [music] once.0:28The peak was 300,000 customers out when0:31the winds hit. By August 20,0:33>> [music]0:33>> about 230,000 had been restored, leaving0:36about 23% still without service. Gary0:39alone accounts for 20,000 of the0:40remaining, roughly 28 to 29% of what is0:43left, the single largest municipal0:45concentration in the region. The failure0:46was not just local distribution. The0:48collapse hit transmission, the0:50high-voltage segments that feed0:51substations, [music]0:52which is why fixing poles was not0:53enough. Crews have to rebuild towers and0:56lines, assessing roughly 2,000 mi of0:58system on [music] foot where debris1:00blocked alleys and roads. Gary carries1:01the heaviest concentrated burden,1:03[music] and that concentration has1:05sharpened questions about equity and1:07pace. Gary is a majority-black city1:09where about 1/3 of residents live in1:10poverty, [music] and frustration has1:12centered on how long cold chain medical1:14and work disruptions have extended.1:16Officials say prioritization is driven1:18by damage severity [music] and1:19infrastructure, not race or income,1:21noting affluent areas were also hit.1:23Outside Gary, the remaining outages1:25concentrate in Lake and Porter counties1:27with smaller numbers elsewhere in the1:29northern Indiana territory. Phase1:31targets name Portage as next hardest1:32after Gary with Munster,1:34>> [music]1:34>> Hammond, Highland, Schererville, Lake1:36Station, Hobart, Merrillville, and East1:38Chicago also carrying outages. LaPorte1:40County was down to about 1,000 remaining1:42by mid-period. Rebuilding, not just1:45repair, is why this has stretched to 21:47weeks. One report put more than 6001:49linemen working in Gary alone. Early1:51reports cited more than 200 contractor1:53crews, later hundreds more plus1:55vegetation crews with mutual aid [music]1:57from across the country, including more1:59than 60 employees sent from ComEd in2:00Illinois. In the second week, the cold2:03chain has failed in thousands of2:04households. [music] Refrigerators and2:06freezers spoiled, store shelves emptied2:08early, and families shifted to community2:10meal distributions, ice, and water.2:12Temperature-sensitive medication that2:13needs continuous refrigeration,2:15including [music] insulin, has been2:16lost. Power-dependent medical equipment2:18like oxygen and CPAP has been difficult2:20to keep running, with some households2:22relying on costly generators and long2:24lines for fuel. Schools [music] stayed2:26closed, hourly and service workers could2:28not report shifts, and dark streets,2:30non-functioning elevators, hotel stays,2:32tree removal, and lost wages have added2:34safety [music] and financial pressure.2:36Seven deaths have been reported2:37statewide in connection with the storms2:39and the flooding that followed. The2:40August 20 account presents that as a2:42state-level total tied to the wind event2:44and its aftermath, [music]2:45without a breakdown by location or2:47cause. The winds that started this were2:48measured at 99 mph at Gary Chicago2:51International Airport, with estimates of2:53100 to 110 mph [music] in parts of2:56northern Lake and Porter counties. A2:57derecho described as comparable to2:59category 2 hurricane-force gusts and the3:01[music] most destructive event on record3:02for this utility. Outages lasting 103:04days or more are unusual here outside3:06major derechos or ice storms.3:08>> [music]3:08>> This one became the largest outage in3:10company history. The Tuesday in the3:12utility outlook is August 25.3:15August 20 [music] was a Thursday, so the3:17next Tuesday is August 25, and reporting3:19around that week cited a target of 11:593:22p.m. Tuesday, August 25 for Gary and the3:25adjacent hardest-hit areas. [music]3:27That would push restoration to about 143:28to 15 days after the initial wind3:30damage, a timeline driven by rebuilding3:32transmission, not routine fixes. Whether3:34that 11:59 p.m. Tuesday target holds for3:37all 70,000 plus customers,3:39>> [music]3:39>> and whether Gary and Portage close at3:41that hour, remains the near-term test.3:43Until current switches close, the count3:45stays at more than 70,000 on August 20,3:47>> [music]3:47>> with Gary at 20,000 against a 300,0003:50peak in a 100 mph wind event that turned3:52one night of transmission damage into a3:542-week loss of power.3:56Like and follow for more stories that3:58matter.Explore with HeyDexThe shortThe short ↗