An online NIPSCO power restoration timeline that excluded Gary fueled angry social media responses and led to a Wednesday press conference called by Mayor Eddie Melton.
Gary residents and thousands of others across Northwest Indiana have endured nine days without power since the Aug. 11 storm that knocked 301,000 NIPSCO customers off the grid. As of 4 p.m. Thursday, NIPSCO’s outage tracker listed 78,890 customers who remain without power, including 26,880 in Gary. The outage number jumped Thursday afternoon after electrical wires were observed on the ground near Indianapolis Boulevard and Main Street in Schererville; traffic signals were out at U.S. 30 and 41 as well.
A NiSource official, summoned by Melton, stood with him to provide answers on the restoration pace and she offered a Tuesday estimated restoration time. NiSource is NIPSCO’s parent company.
The news came as residents see power restored in neighboring cities and some schools reopen. Some portions of Gary do have power. The 21st Century Charter School opened its doors Wednesday.
“We learned from COVID that being open is best for students… The families really appreciated us being open,” said Kevin Teasley, president and founder of the GEO Foundation that operates the school.
Meanwhile, Gary Community School Corp. schools without power remain closed.
Melton insisted Gary hasn’t been forgotten.
“I want to be clear. Gary has not been left behind,” Melton said. “We have support. We have had linemen working every single day throughout this entire storm.”
Melody Birmingham, NiSource utilities group president, explained unprecedented 99 mph winds ripped large trees on top of poles, power lines, streets and homes.
“The damage that affected portions of Gary are among the most extensive and complex that our crews have encountered.
“And when I say complex, these aren’t simple repairs. These are systems that are being rebuilt,” she said. Such work typically takes weeks or months “and we are trying to accomplish in days and or weeks.”
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Birmingham said NIPSCO has heard the complaints regarding other cities getting power all around Gary.
“We understand why residents have questions and are seeking answers,” she said. “When power remains out for an extended period of time, especially as restoration is progressing in other areas, people want to understand what’s happening and what work remains.”
Birmingham acknowledged it’s been a tough week.
“They’re losing food, homes are getting warmer. They’re worried about loved ones and had to make hard choices to get through the day. This isn’t just an inconvenience. It’s a real burden, and I do not minimize that fact.”
Birmingham estimated that about 17,000 Gary homes have regained power.
She said the National Weather Service told NIPSCO Gary faced the strongest winds at 99 mph she said equaled a Category 2 hurricane.
Before restoration efforts began, Birmingham said crews did a damage assessment that involved checking about 2,000 miles of the system on foot to view the damage to understand how to repair it.
“You need to understand what damage has occurred so we can ensure we have the right equipment, the right labor, and we have the right material to restore as well as access to get to those locations,” she said.
Workers found 291 utility poles and 44 transmission poles needed significant repairs or replacement before service could be restored.
There were also 27 source outages at substations which are key portions of the electric system that also must be repaired and replaced.
Birmingham maintained the Aug. 14 incident in which someone shot at Northern Indiana Public Service Co. workers, who were trying to restore power in the 200 block of Rutledge Street, didn’t slow the company down.
No one was injured and no arrests have been made. Deputy Police Chief Brian Evans said the incident was viewed as an isolated one.
Birmingham said work resumed after NIPSCO learned police were investigating.
“Even after the shooting, we had employees come in from other states to support the effort. They came in from Kentucky. They came in from Ohio. With all of this being on the news, they’re not afraid to come to Gary… We paused. We restarted it and we’re still working.”
Due to multiple water main breaks, two areas of the city were under 24 boil advisories starting Thursday afternoon. An area between 33rd and 36th Avenues and Delaware Street and Malcolm X Drive sustained a main break Thursday morning, and repairs were expected to be completed around 5 p.m. A second neighborhood between 15th and 19th Avenues and Roosevelt Place and Roosevelt Street also reported a main break and underwent repairs, which were expected to be finished around 9:15 p.m. Thursday. Indiana American Water issued a Boil Water Advisory for the 24 hours following water service being restored. Under the advisory, any water to be used for drinking or cooking should be brought to a rolling boil for three minutes. Water is OK for bathing, washing, and other common uses.
Before the press conference, Birmingham and city officials met with a group of Gary clergy who held a “Prayer for Gary” vigil on the steps of City Hall following the press conference.
City on the Hill Pastor Antoine Goffin organized the prayer event and sought the meeting also.
“I saw a lot of things going on in the city and a lot of frustration,” he said. “What better way to deal with the situation than to get answers in prayer.”
He said the event drew 82 people who shared prayers for more than an hour.
Goffin, who’s also the New Chicago police chief, said the clergy also wanted answers from NIPSCO about allegations raised in social media posts.
He said the clergy stressed the importance of communication to Birmingham to decrease social media whining when the utility pushed back Gary’s restoration time.
“We learned the restoration was not based on socio-economic class. It was based on infrastructure,” Goffin said.
In terms of relief efforts, the city received some good news. It announced a donation of $100,000 from Gary native and NBA star Glenn Robinson and a $100,000 donation from the Hard Rock Casino in Gary.
The donations will be used for direct assistance to residents in the form of food, water, health and personal hygiene items and well as cleaning and debris removal supplies.
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The donations will be administered by the Legacy Foundation.
Carole Carlson is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.