With most of Northwest Indiana without power after Tuesday’s severe storms, residents and public works employees encountered numerous challenges while starting to recover from storm damage caused by vast numbers of downed trees and power lines.
Many communities made disaster declarations, and issued pleas for residents to stay off the roads so cleanup and power restoration could continue unimpeded.
The most impacted communities as of 11 a.m. Wednesday were Cedar Lake, Chesterton, Crown Point, Dyer, East Chicago, Gary, Griffith, Hammond, Highland, Hobart, LaPorte, Lake Station, Lowell, Merrillville, Michigan City, Munster, Portage, Saint John, Schererville and Valparaiso.
They also asked residents to conserve water and sewer usage, since drinking water and sewer systems are working off of power backups.
Power restoration is expected to take several days, as NIPSCO said Wednesday it’s the biggest outage the company has ever experienced. As of 4:30 p.m., about 270,000 customers remained without power.
Kankakee Valley REMC’s website reported 2,299, or about 10.5% of its customers, remained without power as of about 2:30 p.m. Wednesday.
The National Weather Service said gusts of up to 99 mph were recorded at Gary/Chicago International Airport on Tuesday.
National Weather Service Meteorologist Gino Izzi said Lake, Porter and Newton counties were hit hardest in Indiana Tuesday, adding that about 95% of Lake County residents were without power. The agency confirmed that two tornado tracks continued from Illinois into western portions of Lake County, he said.
The storm was classified as a derecho, Izzi said, and tornadoes were embedded with it.
“(The tornadoes) touched down in Illinois, and they crossed the border into Indiana, technically,” Izzi said.
The National Weather Service’s Chicago office has issued more severe thunderstorm and tornado warnings this year — including ones that swept through the area on Wednesday morning — than they have in recorded history, Izzi said, but he didn’t know the exact number of alerts issued.
“There’s some seasons that are really busy and some seasons that aren’t,” he said.
PORTER COUNTY
Portage Mayor Austin Bonta declared a state of emergency Tuesday afternoon.
On Wednesday, he shared a letter he sent to the governor’s office to request the state declare its own state of emergency.
“Our community has sustained extensive storm-related damage, including widespread power outages, single fatality, multiple gas leaks, fuel shortages, and shortages of food and other essential supplies. These conditions have placed a significant strain on our local resources and our ability to respond to the needs of our residents,” Bonta wrote.
“The sooner a State of Emergency can be declared, the sooner we can access the additional resources needed to address this crisis and support our community,” he wrote.
The city and school administration were working with the Salvation Army to set up a location for food distribution and donations.
Bonta reminded residents without power to make sure generators are used outside, well away from windows and doors, to avoid fumes from entering the home or business.
“I have never in my lifetime seen such devastation in this city. It’s awful,” said Debbie Podgorski, operations manager for Lakeshore Camp Resort.
In June, two people died at the resort because their generator was so close to a window.
No one at the campground was hurt this time, but several of the campers were destroyed, she said.
The power outage is a big concern. At her home, a neighbor is helping keep her generator running to keep power to her sump pump and refrigerator.
It’s not the only example of people being good neighbors.
Bonta shared that American Legion Post 260 fired up its grills Wednesday afternoon to feed any member of the community who needed a meal.
“The last time I remember a good chunk of the city being without power” was March 1998, when an ice storm crippled the region, and that was just a couple of days, Podgorski said.
“A lot of places weren’t done with the cleanup from the last one. Now it’s even worse,” she said.
From her office window, she could look out and see trees at the nearby city wastewater treatment plant that had fallen during the last big storm, and now there were more.
“This area just needs a bit of a break,” Podgorski said. “The ground just can’t take much more water. The trees can‘t take much more stress.”
Valparaiso Mayor Jon Costas said Wednesday afternoon that around 30% of power was back on in the city.
“There’s nine areas we can’t clean because there’s downed power lines,” he said, but added city staff is working closely with NIPSCO on those areas and to limit the amount of time city utilities such as wells have to operate with power from generators.
City Hall was open Wednesday and the city sent fire rescue trucks to assist in Portage as well as extra V-Line buses to help Porter County EMS in transporting patients who need oxygen to a hospital in another city. Costas said he spent part of his day helping Northwest Health President Dan Doherty find alternate facilities for patients who require oxygen. He said Porter County VNA Hospice Center offered 20 rooms. “They need to be where they can stay,” Costas explained.
Costas said it will take weeks to pick up all the brush from the storm.
LAKE COUNTY
Ramon Jones, a 32-year-old Gary resident, spent his Wednesday morning cleaning his and his neighbor’s yards. Jones didn’t have any storm damage to his house on 13th Avenue, but large tree branches fell on power lines and yards along his street.
At about 11:15 a.m. Wednesday, Jones didn’t have power, and he didn’t know when it would come back.
“It’s really frustrating,” he said.
Tuesday’s storm hit Jones’ neighborhood harder than others that have come through Gary this year, he said.
“This is our third big storm, but we got some kind of warning,” Jones added. “The last time, the west side of Gary was hit hard, and the Miller area, too. But both of those areas were hit again during this storm as well.”
On Gary’s west side, at the corner of 26th Avenue and Jackson Street, 51-year-old Dwayne Tillman had a tree uproot, hit his house and take up most of his yard.
“It broke the whole concrete out,” Tillman said. “It ripped up my roofing. I’m missing some windows. … I couldn’t even get out my front door.”
Somebody came by with a chainsaw to create a path to Tillman’s front door, he said. But, he doesn’t know how he’s going to get the tree out of his yard later to repair some of his home damage.
Tillman’s whole neighborhood was without power Wednesday, and they were prepared for it to continue throughout the week.
“Food is getting thrown out, we can’t power up anything, no one has any generators,” Tillman said. “We cleaned the trees up here as best as we could, so we can at least get through and get in and out of the neighborhood. But even when you go out, nothing’s open because they don’t have power.”
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Tillman’s neighbor diagonally across the street, 57-year-old Jerry Armstrong, said he was home when Tuesday’s storm hit.
“We couldn’t see anything,” he said. “When it came through, my back door (and front door) kept opening because of the winds. The cabinets were opening and shutting. … That wind was coming through here.”
Armstrong hadn’t thrown refrigerated food out Wednesday morning because he packed it in his deep freezer with ice to keep safe. His family could also get their stove to light since it runs on gas.
They also bought solar lights a few months ago, so they can see in the house during the night.
“Cell service is iffy,” Armstrong said. “Sometimes you can make a call, sometimes you can’t.”
Armstrong didn’t have any damage to his home, and when he looks around at his neighbors, he considers himself lucky.
“I think that one has a hole up in there, though,” Armstrong said, pointing directly across the street. “I think they said it’s flooded in there. … This isn’t anything I thought I’d ever see.”
Munster resident Ron Alaguer, 38, said storm damage was all around his neighborhood, including uprooted trees and damage to fences and roofs. At the corner of Jefferson Street and Evergreen Lane, Alaguer was spending his Wednesday chopping up a tree in his yard and throwing branches on the curb.
Alaguer’s family didn’t have damage to their house, he said. They also have a generator, which Alaguer said is helpful as they wait for power to come back.
“Somebody said it could take three days, but my mother-in-law ran into someone who said it could take three weeks,” he said. “I really hope it’s three days.”
To avoid long gas station lines Wednesday, Alaguer said he drove to South Holland.
“I paid like $4.30 (a gallon) for gas,” he said. “But it was worth it. Everywhere around here either has a long line or it’s cash only. I had to get away from where the storm hit.”
Hourslong waits were not uncommon at gas stations as not every station had power.
A woman from Munster, who declined her name, said she had already been waiting 45 minutes in line at the Highland Meijer and the line had only moved a short distance. She was there with her husband who is retired. A neighbor had left them attached to his generator but it was running low on gas so they ran out to get more for it.
“I’m 71 and I’ve never seen anything like this. This is an inconvenience but we can handle it,” she said
Antjuan Brown was at Meijer with his girlfriend Kathy Lassin, both of Griffith, and he said they had been in line about two hours. He had just gotten out of the hospital on Tuesday as a branch he was trying to cut down landed on his ankle, fracturing it.
He said the storm was severe but feels the area could have been better prepared for the situation.
According to the Lake County Fair’s Facebook page, as of about 8 a.m. Wednesday, the Lake County Fairgrounds were without power. People were told not to come to the fairgrounds unless they were directly contacted by a superintendent.
4-H shows continued for participants only and weren’t open to the public. Special Abilities Day was canceled for 2026, and Wednesday and Thursday’s grandstand events were also canceled. Anyone with tickets for grandstand shows would be refunded, according to the Facebook post.
“These are not easy decisions,” the post said. “However, because of the logistics, preparation and planning required for these events, we believe this is the best and safest course of action.”
No lingering damage was reported at the Gary/Chicago International Airport, according to an email from airport spokesman Adam Gypalo. The airport had minor damage to a few hangars Tuesday afternoon, he said, and temporarily ceased operations at about 2 p.m. as a precaution while they cleaned up the site.
Gypalo said in his email that Tuesday’s storm won’t have any impact on staging for the Chicago Air and Water Show or the Gary Air Show.
North Township Trustee Adrian A. Santos spent his day chopping up myriad downed trees in Wicker Memorial Park. He said it felt like he hadn’t made a dent.
Because of the damage, the entire park and golf course are closed until further notice, he said.
Still reeling from the June storm that walloped it, the Town of Griffith is dealing with issues similar to the rest of Lake County, with downed trees and power lines, and no power, Griffith Town Council President Rick Ryfa, R-3, said Wednesday. Central Park remained closed for new storm damage, and extra police patrols were out because of the power outage, he said.
As well, Broad Street remained closed at 45th Avenue and Pine Street for downed trees, he said.
Merrillville Town Council President Rick Bella, D-5, said he was in “disbelief about the weather.”
Straight line winds up to 100 mph blew open the back doors of the Town Hall and and removed some of the roof, which let in rain that caused ceiling tiles to fall once they filled with storm water, Bella said.
The town has filed a second disaster declaration, which follows a previous declaration after a June 17 tornado.
The Crown Point Fire Department responded to a storm-related injury call where a resident cleaning up storm debris suffered a minor injury but did not require transportation to the hospital, according to a statement from the city.
The Crown Point police and fire departments have responded to hundreds of calls for assistance since Tuesday. As of Wednesday, city offices were without power and were closed, but storm clean-up remained in effect, according to the statement.
Residents are asked to abide by emergency protocols and to cooperate with public officials. The declaration will remain in effect until rescinded by the city, according to the statement.
“This will allow the city to be included in any county, state or federal disaster relief efforts,” Crown Point Mayor Pete Land said in the statement. “On Tuesday evening, I spoke with a representative from Gov. Mike Braun’s office on the extent of damage in Crown Point, with the initial discussion regarding the state’s emergency declaration for the entire Northwest Indiana region.”
SCHOOLS CANCEL FIRST DAY
Schools throughout the region also postponed the start of classes because of the storms.
Andrean High School officials had hoped to start off the year on schedule Thursday after cleaning up from an early summer tornado but announced that was being pushed back to Friday after Tuesday’s storms.
“While the building is ready to greet students and start the 2026-27 school year, it is clear that many families and staff do not have power at their personal residences or incurred damage as a result of yesterday’s storm,” school officials announced on social media Wednesday.
School officials said the freshmen orientation and retreat has been rescheduled for Thursday, and the first day of school will be Friday. Officials said they will keep the school community informed if those plans need to be modified.
The School City of Hobart also announced its schools will be closed for the remainder of the week, with a decision about next week to be made over the weekend.
Portage Township Schools has canceled classes for the rest of the week. Wednesday was to have been the first day of school, but extensive damage throughout Portage from the severe thunderstorm Tuesday prevented it.
Several school buildings sustained damage from the storm. A decision will be made at the end of this week whether school can resume next week.
Griffith Public Schools Superintendent Leah Dumezich said that the district reconfigured its start date again, with Meet the Teacher Night happening on Friday, August 14, and a tentative school start date on Monday, August 17.
“Please understand that the Monday start date is our goal based on the information we have at this time,” Dumezich said in a social media post. “We will continue evaluating our buildings and campus conditions and will communicate immediately with families and staff if any additional changes become necessary.”
Special Needs preschool students will still start on August 24, she said.
Lake Central, Munster and Highland are closed Thursday and Friday, due to storm damage. Gary will be closed on Thursday.
FREE MEALS, COOLING CENTERS POP UP
While Northwest Indiana scrambled to gain some sense of normalcy Tuesday evening, Ricky Hanft decided to throw an impromptu cookout and invite whoever saw his social media post to attend.
Hanft, who owns butcher shop The Wurst in downtown Griffith, was staring down the nightmare every food-based business currently has: freezers full of food and no power. But rather than risk throwing it all out, he spent his Tuesday evening out front of his shop with a couple of grills and any leftover paper cutlery he could find to feed the masses.
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And the masses came. By 7 p.m., Hanft had gone through countless packs of chevaps, lamb and hot Italian sausages, and three chuck roasts. He was ready to throw some whole chickens on the grill, too, but the crowd dwindled down.
“It was a bad situation, so we figured out what we could do with all of it,” Hanft said, crediting Atlas Room owners and neighbors Valerie Miller Gonzalez and Skip Jones for providing libations. “We have no power, and people are going to be hungry, so why not?”
Once Hanft started cooking, others were inspired to join in the hospitality, Crystal Martin, of Schererville, ran to her mom’s house and brought back several mini loaves of banana and zucchini bread for whoever wanted it.
“He’s a buddy of my boyfriend’s, so we said, ‘Let’s meet up and make sure everyone’s eating his meat,'” she said. “Then I talked to my mom, and she said to come grab the loaves we made because we wanted to do whatever we could to help. It’s been great vibes.”
“It’s community people doing community (expletive),” Brian Stessl, of Griffith, added.
Several other local food establishments followed suit and offered free food Wednesday, including Fuzzyline Brewery and Cecil Street Food Truck in Highland; the Munster Lions Club; Montego Bay Grille in Hobart; and Sangria in Griffith.
Calumet College of St. Joseph was offering its campus as an opportunity to charge their devices and stay cool as was Lincoln Center in Highland, the Munster Lions Club, and the First United Methodist Church, 352 S. Main Street, in Crown Point.
The Salvation Army opened food distribution centers Wednesday and Thursday in La Porte and Portage for those affected by the storms, according to a statement.
The response is being coordinated at the Salvation Army Michigan City Corps, 1201 Franklin Street, where food is being collected and prepared before it is distributed, according to the statement.
The City of Portage has opened a centralized feeding site at the Portage High School Field House, 6450 E. Highway 6, and the Salvation Army will be there Wednesday from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. and Thursday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. providing dinner, snacks, water and charging stations, according to the release. They expect that the mobile feeding kitchen will serve at least 300 to 400 meals Wednesday night between Portage and LaPorte.
Staff writers Alexandra Kukulka and Meredith Colias-Pete and freelance reporters Michelle L. Quinn, Shelley Jones, Carole Carlson contributed.