House damaged by fallen tree

Three days after storm, most of Lake County still in the dark

Contributed By: The 411 News

Getting around beyond your front door, whether on foot or by auto is still difficult, 3 days after Tuesday’s storm that brought tornadoes and 100mph winds to northwest Indiana and northeast Illinois.

Some streets remain impassable because of fallen trees and branches that knocked out power lines causing outages and damages to homes and businesses.

Lines are still long at gas stations. Some neighborhood grocery stores remain without power.

Storm damage, extensive vegetation debris, flooding and power outages are creating hazardous conditions and traffic backups across the area.

Lake County Sheriff Oscar Martinez Jr. urged residents to avoid unnecessary travel in areas where trees, utility poles and power lines have fallen, especially at night when visibility is the lowest. Downed power lines can be concealed beneath tree limbs and other debris, creating an extremely dangerous situation.

As of 4pm today, August 14th, a NIPSCO update reported power has been restored to 138,000 of its 317,000 customers in northern Indiana who were affected by the storm. Customers currently without power number 179,000.

NIPSCO said it had restored power to all the hospitals in its territory except one, and power to that one will be restored tonight.

The utility also released expectations of when power will be restored across its coverage area. Approximately 90% will be restored by Tuesday, August 18 at 11:59 p.m. and approximately 100% will be restored by Friday, August 21 at 11:59 p.m.

NIPSCO reported community-level estimated restoration times (ETRs) are currently being developed and are expected to be released on the evening of Sunday, Aug. 16.

Another round of thunderstorms is expected late tonight through Saturday morning that could create new outages, cause additional damage and temporarily impact ongoing restoration efforts. NIPSCO said its crews remain prepared to respond to changing conditions while continuing restoration work wherever it is safe to do so.

Governor Mike Braun was in Hammond Wednesday morning to assess the damage from Tuesday’s storms. The governor authorized the mobilization of the Indiana National Guard to provide additional manpower and resources in Gary, Munster and Hobart. The Guard is being positioned for life-saving activities as well as cleanup and support.

Following Tuesday's storm, roughly 35,440 electric customers in Gary lost power. City of Gary cancelled its upcoming Gary Air Show, scheduled for August 15-16.

The severe weather caused extensive damage across the city, including downed trees and power lines, damaged and destroyed homes, vehicles and other property, widespread power outages, flooding, and significant damage to City infrastructure.

“This was not an easy decision,” said Mayor Eddie Melton. “Our responsibility right now is to focus every available resource on helping our residents, restoring our neighborhoods and returning Gary to normalcy as quickly as possible. Given the magnitude of this disaster, it would not be responsible to extend our resources toward an event when our community needs them most.”

Public safety was also a critical consideration in the decision to cancel the event.

Gary relies heavily on mutual aid from neighboring communities to supplement emergency response personnel, and those resources are currently stretched to their limits as communities throughout the region respond to the storm as call volumes have doubled since Tuesday.

Story Posted:08/14/2026