Nearly two weeks after the Aug. 11 derecho hit Northwest Indiana, Calumet Township resident Pam Oliver got power and sewage restored Sunday night.
“I celebrated by flushing the toilet like four times,” Oliver said. “I had to make sure it was real.”
Although Oliver’s power is restored, other Calumet Township residents are still going without it because a recently installed sewage system only works when power is on. While they wait for power, volunteers in the area are providing meals, water and portable showers and toilets.
Tim Kuiper, chairman of the board of the Lake Ridge Fire Protection District, said the fire station, located at 2301 47th Ave. in Gary, has portable showers and toilets for Calumet Township residents.
“When you have no power, you can’t make coffee, you can’t brush your teeth, you can’t take a shower,” Kuiper said. “You have no water. So, we started with this so people can come and take a shower.”
They’ve also partnered with the World Central Kitchen to provide meals to those in need, which will be available as long as needs are there.
Mae Bippart-Butler, World Central Kitchen’s manager of community outreach, said the organization has given out about 9,000 meals at 13 locations in Gary. The Lake Ridge Fire Station and City Life Center, located at 225 W. 5th Ave., are the main public distribution sites, she added.
Kristin Trosper, specialist of donor experience, said World Central Kitchen arrived in Gary Sunday and immediately began networking with local contacts and groups to see where the need was greatest.
“We work worldwide, both internationally and domestically, when a crisis arises for our communities,” Trosper said. “We really wanted to make sure that we were here to help provide support where we could. I would say that’s why we’re here — to help the community.”
Kuiper compared World Central Kitchen and other volunteers to angels.
“I’ve been involved with fire and EMS for 44 years,” he said. “I’ve never been part of something that’s been this wonderful.”
On Monday, Kuiper said he was hoping that they’d give out 400 meals at the fire station. As more power is restored, he expects less people need help, but over the weekend, they had almost 1,000 people who needed assistance.
About 100 people have come to the fire station each day for the portable restrooms, Kuiper said. They worked with the Lake County Board of Commissioners to have those installed, he added.
Commissioner Kyle Allen, D-1st, told the Post-Tribune Monday that helping Calumet Township residents get their sewage and power restored is a priority for him.
“It’s really about getting people connected to a power source,” Allen said. “To me, it’s a NIPSCO issue.”
When she was without power, Oliver didn’t use the portable showers because she said they’re not handicap accessible. Oliver’s husband is handicapped, she said, and it would’ve been impossible for him to use the showers.
Instead, she washed him at home with sponge baths, and she placed a bag in the toilet when they went to the bathroom and threw it in her garbage bin afterwards.
“God bless the people who have to walk past my garbage can,” Oliver said. “Not a pleasant odor, as you can imagine, especially in the summer.”
Allen told the Post-Tribune Monday that he didn’t know the portable restrooms weren’t handicap accessible, and he hadn’t heard any direct complaints about the facilities.
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“I was told they’re full-service, and I guess what they mean by full-service is that they have a sink, a toilet and a full-service shower,” Allen said. “(The lack of handicap accessibility) is an issue I’ll have to follow up on and look into that.”
As of about 2:30 p.m. Monday, 6,533 Gary residents were still without power, according to NIPCSO’s website. The utility expects Gary and Portage to have power restored by 11:59 p.m. Tuesday — the final two Northwest Indiana cities listed.
Gary Mayor Eddie Melton said in a news release Monday that the city “can’t wait that long” and “We need help!” According to the news release, NIPSCO said Gary’s damage has been “particularly extensive” and required significant infrastructure repairs, including utility pole replacement and transmission equipment.
The city has also received assistance from neighboring communities and Com Ed crews from Chicago.
Melton said in a separate email that, on Monday, he met with U.S. Sen. Jim Banks, R-Indiana, to coordinate recovery efforts, including through a comprehensive tour of Gary’s impacted areas. The mayor also spoke to President Donald Trump over the phone to advocate for the immediate authorization of federal disaster funds to accelerate recovery.
“The devastation our city has experienced demands swift, decisive and unified action at every level of government,” Melton said in a statement. “I am grateful to Senator Banks for coming to Gary, seeing the damage firsthand, meeting with our residents and taking action on their behalf. In my conversation with President Trump, I made it clear that Gary needs immediate access to FEMA resources to support our recovery. This federal assistance is critical to restoring our neighborhoods, rebuilding our community and making sure Gary emerges from this storm stronger and more resilient than before.”
Governor calls for investigation into NIPSCO
Gov. Mike Braun asked the Indiana Office of Utility Consumer Counselor to file a complaint and petition the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission to investigate NIPSCO following the prolonged power outages.
Braun, in a news release, called for a thorough review of the utility’s preparation and response to power outages, including whether NIPSCO adequately maintained vegetation and cleared rights-of-way to protect infrastructure and whether state regulator-approved funding for infrastructure and reliability improvements was spent as promised.
“NIPSCO is a monopoly utility that Hoosiers pay every month with the expectation that it will use its considerable resources to maintain its system, prepare for severe weather and restore service as quickly as possible when disaster strikes,” Braun said. “NIPSCO has failed to keep its end of the bargain. … Hoosiers deserve accountability.”
Kerwin Olson, Executive Director of the Citizens Action Coalition, said the IURC is not required to pick up the petition, but they also don’t need a petition to investigate.
“I don’t see how the IURC doesn’t open an investigation,” Olson said. “They shouldn’t need the nudge; it’s their job.”
In terms of enforcement actions, Olson said the statute that governs the IURC is “vague and ambiguous” and fines aren’t a tool at their disposal
“They can reduce the utility’s return on equity, which makes the utility squirrelly,” Olson said. “About 20 years ago, NIPSCO had really low customer satisfaction ratings, and the IURC dinged it on its ROE.
“So they have done it, but I don’t know if it was punitive enough.”
But Olson cautioned people that investigations don’t guarantee a satisfactory outcome for consumers.
“I have seen so many investigations lead to absolutely nothing,” Olson said. “There was a recent one with AES and at the end of it, they say ‘Thanks for coming, everybody’ and nothing happened.”
Olson does expect some action from legislators as the backlash has grown toward NIPSCO and other utilities in terms of rising bills.
“I’m getting calls from legislators about what ideas we have,” Olson said. “I think the public outcry is starting to move them more than utility cash (in terms of political donations). There definitely is an appetite to do something.”
In a statement emailed to the Post-Tribune Monday, NIPSCO said it’s aware of Braun’s directive and will continue to communicate with his office and the IURC. After the Aug. 11 storm and in following days with severe weather, about 374,500 NIPSCO customers were impacted, and it caused “extensive damage” across both its transmission and distribution systems.
“NIPSCO values the regulatory process and will cooperate fully if the Commission were to open an investigation. We are committed to transparency and cooperation in providing information regarding our operations and ongoing efforts to serve our customers safely and reliably,” the utility said in its statement. “As restoration efforts continue, our crews, contractors and partners remain committed to restoring power safely and as quickly as possible for every customer affected by this historic storm.”