One person is reported dead in Portage and hundreds of thousands of people in Northwest Indiana are without power after violent storms ripped through the region Tuesday, snarling traffic, downing trees and delaying the start of school Wednesday for many districts.
The Portage Fire Department said in a statement that one person died in a house fire, though reports that there had been an explosion had not been confirmed.
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Portage Police scheduled a news conference for 6 p.m. Tuesday to detail the storm damage.
More than 290,000 Northern Indiana Public Service Company customers were affected by severe weather Tuesday, according to the utility’s website.
“All available resources will work to assess damage, make necessary repairs and restore power as safely and quickly as possible in the ongoing inclement conditions,” the noon update said.
At that time, an estimate of when power will be restored could not be determined. The utility tracks weather patterns and prepared crews to respond to the severe weather, according to the update.
As of about 4 p.m. Tuesday, 290,022 NIPSCO customers were affected, according to the website. In Gary, 34,406 NIPSCO customers were without power, and in Hammond, 21,223 people were without power.
Crown Point had 20,842 people without power, Hobart had 14,665, Merrillville had 17,195 and Munster had 10,399. East Chicago, Griffith, Highland, Lake Station, Dyer, St. John and Schererville also had thousands of residents without power.
In Porter County, 14,215 Portage residents were without power at about 4 p.m., and 30,206 Valparaiso NIPSCO customers were without power. Chesterton had 10,393 residents without power.
According to Kankakee Valley REMC, which serves rural areas in Lake, Porter and LaPorte counties, at about 4 p.m., there were 101 active outages, and 7,859 of its 21,871 total customers were affected.
The Merrillville Police Department put a statement on Facebook, saying that the traffic signals are out throughout town. Numerous trees and large branches were also down with many blocking roadways.
“Merrillville Police, along with our town crews and other agencies, are actively working to address these hazards and get roadways cleared and traffic moving again,” the update said. “We are aware of the numerous locations affected and are working through them one at a time based on priority and safety.”
The police also asked residents to only call 911 for a direct emergency and to stay away from downed power lines.
“We are in disbelief about the weather,” said Town Council President Rick Bella, D-5. “We have downed trees all over as well as power lines. Most of Merrillville is without power. I’ve been at town hall and we had, around 11:00, straight-line winds up to 100 MPH blow open our back doors and remove some of the Town Hall roof. That then started leaking in various areas of the town hall. Ceiling tiles began to fall once they filled with stormwater. We closed town hall for safety reasons and sent employees home once it was safe to leave the building. Only (Office Manager) Linda (Rosas) and I remain now at Town Hall finishing up some items. We cancelled the workshop and council meeting for tonight. We were running on our generator, but I believe our power is back on now at town hall. I just signed an emergency proclamation given what our town is going through. We have crews and company vendors clearing roads to allow traffic to get through as many roads were blocked by downed trees.
Munster canceled its Board of Zoning Appeals and Plan Commission meeting Tuesday because of the storms, according to the town Facebook page, asking residents to shelter in place while roads “are impassable.” At about 11:30 a.m., the town said public works and Munster police are coordinating to assess damage and begin repair efforts.
In Gary’s storm update at about 2 p.m.,, the city encouraged residents to report fallen trees and storm damage to the city, downed power lines to NIPSCO, and flooding to the Gary Sanitary District. All city buildings were closed Tuesday afternoon until further notice.
“Please avoid any unnecessary travel and keep our roadways clear. This will allow first responders, emergency personnel, utility crews, and city crews to safely reach residents and address urgent needs,” Mayor Eddie Melton said in a statement. “We will continue to provide updates as our damage assessments and recovery efforts progress. Please stay safe, check on your neighbors when it is safe to do so, and remain indoors if possible.”
According to the city’s Facebook page, Hobart also asked residents to avoid unnecessary travel. The city encouraged people to call 911 for trees on power lines, downed wires or power lines, nonfunctioning traffic signals, trees or debris blocking the roadways and other immediate public safety hazards.
Some city office lines were also down due to a Frontier service outage, according to Hobart’s announcement.
In Hammond, residents were encouraged to report non-emergency storm-related issues and cleanup requests through Hammond 311. Indiana Department of Transportation officials were working to clear state roads, according to the city’s update.
The city also encouraged residents to remain inside and avoid flooded roads, downed trees and power lines.
PORTER COUNTY
Portage experienced a significant severe weather event that resulted in “catastrophic damage” throughout portions of the community, according to a statement from the fire department, which also confirmed a fatality in a house fire.
The Portage Fire Department was dispatched to a reported structure fire on the north side of the city. Due to widespread storm damage, debris, and hazardous conditions, emergency responders experienced an extended response time while attempting to access the incident location, according to the statement.
There have been reports that an explosion may have occurred in connection with the incident. “At this time, that information has not been confirmed, and the circumstances surrounding the incident remain under investigation,” the statement noted.
Additional information will not be released at this time pending appropriate notifications and further investigation.
Portage officials – and those throughout the region – are asking the public to avoid unnecessary travel to allow emergency personnel, utility crews, and other responders the space necessary to safely perform their duties.
Tiffany Gonzales hit a literal roadblock while trying to get to her Liberty Township home from Valparaiso after the severe storms Tuesday, so she rolled up her sleeves and got to work.
Gonzales had driven to Valparaiso to pick up her younger sister, 8, so they could spend the day together.
“I didn’t know this was going to happen,” she said by phone after she was safely back at home.
The two sheltered at her husband Adrian’s workplace on Bond Street during the brunt of the storm and headed north on Campbell to get back to their house once the weather let up.
Downed trees on Campbell, just south of Rogers Lakewood Park, blocked Gonzales’s path, and she wanted to get home to her animals — six cats, two reptiles, and a dog — because she was worried about them after the storm.
Rather than take the time to find an alternate route, Gonzales went to work.
“I just got out and started moving trees,” she said. “It was kind of like that parental primal instinct.”
Gonzales said she has health issues that make her prone to fainting, “but I wasn’t even worried about that.” She just wanted to make sure her pets were OK.
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Other folks came to help and a man with a chainsaw arrived as well.
“I started it and people just pitched in and finished it and it worked out,” she said.
Her animals and home were safe, though a neighbor six doors down had a tree land on their house.
Gonzales, like hundreds of thousands of people across the region, didn’t have power but she has a backup plan for keeping her reptiles comfy when their heat lamps are out — hand warmers on the grate of their tank, covered with a heavy blanket.
“It works amazingly well,” she said.
Portage Mayor Austin Bonta declared a state of emergency shortly after 1 p.m. Tuesday. The council chambers at City Hall became a public safety command center.
Police and firefighters were busy responding to life-and-death emergencies since the storm hit.
The team at City Hall documented all the downed trees and power lines across the city, building a spreadsheet and map to guide emergency responders and street department workers clearing the roads.
“Right now, we’re prioritizing getting roads open based on getting all neighborhoods accessible for public safety to get in and make sure people aren’t trapped,” Bonta said.
“If it is safe to do so, please check on your neighbors to make sure they’re OK,” he said.
Portage’s Woodland Park was activated as an emergency shelter. “If you are not safe in your home due to a gas leak or storm damage, you may utilize this location,” Bonta said.
He asked people who were without power but safe in their home to stay put so there would be sufficient room for people in danger.
Woodland Park was accessible only from westbound Portage Avenue, then travel north on Willowcreek. It was inaccessible from US 20.
Wednesday was to have been the first day of school for Portage Township Schools, but classes and all scheduled extracurricular activities were canceled because of the storm damage to the city, Communications Director Melissa Deavers said.
“We are currently assessing the safety of our campuses and are remaining in contact with city and township officials to monitor the progress of recovery,” a note sent to parents said. “We will keep everyone updated on the status of school for the remainder of the week once we better understand the extent of the damages across the city and township and have a timeline for recovery efforts.”
The storm hit about half an hour after the school district’s annual all-staff meeting ended, Deavers said.
“There are trees down everywhere,” Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District Chief Engagement and Experience Officer Nicole Barker said, including live power lines on the ground.
“It’s like nothing I’ve ever seen before,” Barker said while in Hammond with a group of legislators touring the area.
South Shore Line service was suspended on the Monon Corridor route because of storm damage, and buses were deployed between Dune Park and South Bend after service to South Bend was suspended because of fallen trees and damage to overhead wires, the railroad reported.
[email protected]; [email protected]; freelance reporters Doug Ross and Michelle L. Quinn contributed.