A day after declaring a statewide disaster emergency, Gov. Mike Braun requested a Presidential Emergency Declaration on Friday through FEMA to bring additional federal resources to Indiana following a string of devastating tornados, storms and flooding.
“My heart goes out to every Hoosier impacted by these storms,” Braun said in a news release. “My number one priority is protecting Hoosier lives, and our state and local teams are standing shoulder to shoulder to do just that. Our state’s response is firing on all cylinders.”
The Presidential Emergency Declaration requests federal assistance for emergency response costs, for example, to help agencies carry out swift water rescues, expedite power restoration efforts, and support other immediate response activities in impacted communities, according to a news release from Braun’s office.
He signed an executive order Thursday declaring the emergency, finding that state assistance is necessary to supplement local resources and directing the Indiana Department of Homeland Security to enlist support of other agencies and provide emergency services.
Braun also announced he’s mobilized the Indiana National Guard and directed state agencies to “get people, equipment and resources where they’re needed.” Mobilization of the National Guard will provide “additional manpower and resources” in Gary, Munster and Hobart, according to the news release.
“Hoosiers can be confident that we are working around the clock to keep people safe and help our communities recover,” Braun said in the news release.
The governor visited Hammond Wednesday following Northwest Indiana storms that brought high winds, rain and power outages. On Thursday, he traveled to Cambridge City in East Central Indiana to assess flash flooding.
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Braun directed state emergency teams and Indiana residents to be ready for additional potential severe weather.
“Even as we recover from what has already happened, we are preparing for what may come next,” Braun said in the news release. “Our teams are positioned, our agencies are coordinating and resources are ready to move. I urge every Hoosier to stay weather aware, listen to local authorities and never drive through floodwaters.”
Northwest Indiana residents can report property damage to Indiana 211, at 866-211-9966, or visit https://in211.communityos.org/IDHS_Disaster_Damage_Reporting_Tool.
National Weather Service survey teams were in Lake and Porter counties on Thursday, said meteorologist Kevin Doom.
“They found a lot of straight-line wind damage in northern Lake and Porter counties, especially in the harder hit areas along the I-80/94 corridor, Gary and into Portage,” he said. “There was no more tornadic damage, but there were lots of trees down.”
Doom said thunderstorms are in the forecast throughout the weekend for Northwest Indiana and the Chicago area. Most of the area is currently under flash flood watch or warning due to the ground being very saturated from rainfall. He said it’s a larger concern in communities along and south of the Kankakee River into Newton and Benton counties.
According to Post-Tribune archives, the National Weather Service found that two tornadoes made their way to Lake County during Tuesday’s storms, including an EF-1 from Orland Park, Illinois, to Hammond, and an EF-2 from Monee, Illinois, to Crown Point.
Three other tornadoes were confirmed in Illinois: an EF-0 in Oswego, an EF-1 in Wilmington and an EF-1 from Mokena to Tinley Park.
U.S. Rep. Frank Mrvan, D-Highland, said Wednesday that he contacted FEMA for regional assistance.
At about 11 a.m. Friday, about 180,000 NIPSCO customers were still without power, according to the utility’s website. Customer outages reached about 301,000 following Tuesday’s storm, according to NIPSCO. The utility announced Thursday that 90% of impacted customers can expect restored power by 11:59 p.m. Tuesday, and complete restoration for all customers by 11:59 p.m. Aug. 21.
“At the direction of the Indiana State Emergency Operations Center, the Indiana National Guard is supporting response efforts in portions of our service territory,” NIPSCO’s update said. “A collaborative effort is launching to address access challenges, support logistics operations and assist impacted communities as restoration work continues.”
Community-level estimated restoration times are being developed, according to NIPSCO, and are expected to be released Sunday evening.
“Although restoration timelines are now available at the system level, customers should understand that this remains a highly dynamic situation,” according to NIPSCO. “Additional damage continues to be identified as crews complete detailed assessments, and restoration plans may be adjusted to address newly discovered issues and critical infrastructure priorities. Additional inclement weather can also impact estimated restoration times.”
Hobart Mayor Josh Huddlestun posted an update Friday morning saying around 50% of the city’s residents who experienced power outages have now had their power restored.
Portage Mayor Austin Bonta estimated Friday morning that 25% of the city had electricity again.
“Every time a new neighborhood gets power, it feels like a new boost of hope, and I appreciate how fast they’ve been working on our city since this storm hit us hard,” he said.
In a Facebook post, Bonta said he met with a representative from Braun’s office on Friday, but said the county’s request for National Guard assistance hasn’t been processed yet even as it has submitted the necessary information to the state.
“I’ve been asked to wait a few more hours today for the state to call us with an update after some more review,” Bonta said. “I said that I will be waiting on their call, but I reiterated that Portage needs all the help we can get after being hit hard by this storm and power outage. I’m hopeful for a better update soon, but determined to make sure Portage is able to get the level of support we need.”
In the meantime, Bonta said roads are being cleared by city staff from the Street Department, Sanitation Department, Parks Department, Utilities Department, and a coalition of companies and unions that have volunteered with equipment and manpower.
For the South Shore Line, at least, things are back to normal. The railroad was set to resume operating on its regular weekend/holiday schedule on Saturday and its normal weekday schedule on Monday, the railroad announced Friday.
“All that was damaged that’s branch and tree-related was pretty much cleaned up by 4 p.m. Tuesday,” Chief Engagement and Experience Officer Nicole Barker said Friday. The lack of power between Gary and Michigan City was the biggest issue.
“We’ve put in generators across all the grade crossings” in affected areas, she said.
“Although train service is being restored, power outages continue to impact multiple locations throughout the SSL service area. Passengers are advised that delays remain possible due to ongoing railroad crossing and signal outages,” the railroad said.
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Freelance reporter Doug Ross contributed.