Twelve Days in the Dark: Frustration Boils Over in Powerless Indiana T

Tens of thousands of residents in the Indiana town of Gary have been without power for nearly two weeks, with many struggling to access basic necessities like food, water, and medication.

The storm that struck on 11 August, bringing flooding and tornadoes to the US Midwest, left a trail of destruction and long-lasting impacts. According to the National Weather Service, wind gusts peaked at 99mph in Gary, a former industrial town that runs along the southern shore of Lake Michigan.

Frustration Mounts as Power Remains Out

As the outage stretches into its 12th day, residents are growing increasingly frustrated. Terry Dubois, a 77-year-old resident, has been relying on friends to bring her non-perishable food to eat. Her son brought her a power bank so she can charge her phone and keep in touch with the outside world.

"It's not OK for us to continually be in survival mode," Shatiya Hardin, a resident, told the BBC's US partner CBS. At night, residents are sweating, irritable, and struggling to care for children and elderly people who need electricity for oxygen tanks.

Residents Turn to Creative Solutions

With power lines still down, residents have been forced to find creative ways to cope. Demond Pompy, a resident, has been grilling food in the streets, while Kyle Allen, another resident, has bought a generator to sustain himself and his 95-year-old father.

But not everyone has been able to adapt. "I had all my teeth removed, and no medication for 48 hours. Let me tell you something, it was a struggle," Jack Tipold, a resident, said in a lawsuit against the utility company Nipsco.

Lawsuit Filed Against Nipsco

The lawsuit, filed by residents, accuses Nipsco of failing to manage the trees that brought down the power lines in the storm. Nipsco has denied wrongdoing and said it would "vigorously" defend itself in court.

Faith leaders, alarmed by the ongoing outage, held a press conference on Saturday outside a local church. "We come together today with one voice, asking those who have the power… to release the resources to our brothers and our sisters, our mothers and our fathers, because 12 days is long enough," a faith leader said, according to the Indianapolis Star.

Relief in Sight

Nipsco said on Sunday it was restoring power to everyone as soon as possible, and estimated Gary would have its electricity restored by Wednesday. The company said it recognised how frustrating and difficult it is to be without power for an extended period.

Indiana's governor, Mike Braun, said on Sunday there was "no excuse for these delays." He has requested a quicker major disaster declaration from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema), which would unlock further help. With climate change making extreme weather more severe and frequent, such power outages are likely to become a more common problem.

In the meantime, Braun has pushed Nipsco to bring in more crews to get those without power back online: "Put every available resource into the field. Get creative."

Source: JOY