Gary residents left in the dark for two weeks after deadly storms

More than a week after a deadly derecho hit northwest Indiana on Aug. 11, tens of thousands remained without power. NIPSCO said full restoration in Gary would not occur until Aug. 25, two weeks after the storm. The storm damaged hundreds of poles, requiring system rebuilding. Schools stayed closed, businesses lost revenue, and residents struggled without refrigeration. A fire at NIPSCO equipment in East Chicago caused further outages. Utility officials denied ignoring low-income areas, citing storm path. Over 600 linemen worked in Gary. At least seven deaths were blamed on the storm.