Gary, Indiana, has been without power for at least 12 days, but the power company promises to get it fixed by midnight today

A class action lawsuit was filed August 17 against Northern Indiana Public Service Company, or NIPSCO, following deadly storms on Aug. 11 that left the mostly Black residents of Gary, Ind., without electrical power, air conditioning and water for more than two weeks. A spokesman for NIPSCO said the company expects to restore most of the power by the end of the day on Tuesday, August 25. 

NIPSCO initially provided restoration timelines for several Northwest Indiana cities but did not include Gary.

Mayor Eddie Melton said the city has been without power for 12 days, and he continues to pressure NIPSCO to restore the city’s power. “We’re at day 12, and 12 days is too long for families to be without power,” Melton said in a video address on Sunday.

 “Twelve days is too long for parents to worry about their children, and for businesses to lose revenue, and for families to wonder when the relief is finally going to come. Today, I want the people of Gary to know this. I want you to know that I share their frustration.”

Severe winds up to 99 mph on August 11 damaged power lines and poles across Northwest Indiana, leaving over 300,000 NIPSCO customers affected at peak, with Gary—home to about 65,000, mostly Black residents—facing the longest waits until August 25. Gary residents believed they were overlooked by NIPSCO because of the city’s demographics.

Allen Law Group filed the lawsuit in Porter County on behalf of several plaintiffs, alleging NIPSCO failed to “comply with its legal, regulatory, contractual, and/or common law duties and obligations,” according to court records.

The plaintiffs argue that NIPSCO’s alleged failure to perform adequate vegetation management resulted in personal injury and/or pecuniary harm due to repeated and widespread power outages. Plaintiffs also claim NIPSCO prioritized investor profits over safety and grid reliability.

The court filing claims mismanaged vegetation allegedly caused repeated outages from August 2024 through August 2026, culminating in a massive Aug. 11 outage that left 317,000 customers, nearly 60% of NIPSCO’s electric base, without power.

At least seven people have died statewide, prompting frustrations over slow federal response and comments like residents feeling overlooked due to demographics, while Gov. Mike Braun deployed state resources including the National Guard for debris cleanup. 

Stars like NBA’s Tyrese Haliburton and influencer Keith Lee joined community aid with meals and supplies from groups like World Central Kitchen, as locals set up charging stations and mutual support amid the grid’s vulnerabilities.