'Survival mode': Indiana residents endure a ninth day without power

Indiana residents endure a ninth day without power Tens of thousands of individuals in Indiana are entering a second week without power after a deadly storm toppled trees and power lines.

Key points

• Regarding 250 miles (400 kilometers) southeast of Gary, heavy rains drenched Columbus, Ohio, with more than 3 inches (7 centimeters) of rain in 12 hours, Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther stated.
• Remarked 68, 000 customers were still without power as of Thursday morning, most of them in Lake County beside the Illinois border.
• A person prays before receiving a free boxed lunch at City Life Center in Gary, Ind., Thursday, Aug.
• Raydia Martin, assistant director of the Flourish Community Hub at Flourish Church in Gary, remarked the "silver lining" has been the response from volunteers and community groups.
• Gary's school district, with regarding 4, 300 students, kicked off its school year in early August but has been closed since Aug.

Notably, a person prays before receiving a free boxed lunch at City Life Center in Gary, Ind., Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026, more than a week after a deadly storm passed through the area. Nam Y. Huh/AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh/AP hide caption. Nam Y. Huh/AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh/AP.

GARY, Ind. – Tens of thousands of residents in northwest Indiana were in survival mode Thursday as they endured a ninth day without power, throwing out spoiled food, lining up for hot meals and searching for places to charge their phones. Multiple individuals dead as flooding continues in Indiana.

In Gary, Indiana, schools remained closed after the deadly Aug. 11 storm downed trees and power lines. While others sought food, diapers and cleaning wipes for low-income neighbors, residents turned to social media to find open laundromats and working Wi-Fi.

Meanwhile, heavy rains in central Ohio brought flash flooding that covered roadways Thursday morning in Columbus, the state capital, where emergency crews rescued motorists from stranded cars and saved a 12-year-old boy who was swept off a bridge.

Northern Indiana Public Service Co. Remarked 68, 000 customers were still without power as of Thursday morning, most of them in Lake County beside the Illinois border. The utility remarked it has restored power to 306, 500 others since Aug. 11. But power is not projected to be fully restored until Tuesday in some places, including Gary.

Courtney Page-Tan, an Indiana University Indianapolis professor who studies community resilience, remarked health worries grow each day of a prolonged outage. With plenty of residents using generators, poor ventilation can lead to carbon monoxide poisoning. While refrigerated food once safe to eat could pose health risks as it spoils, furthermore, those reliant on medical devices risk having them lose their charge.

"Nine days is a long time for a community to be without power, " Page-Tan remarked. Residents are exhausted from days without power.

Shatiya Hardin, a hair stylist in Gary for 25 years, has been unable to open her salon since the storm. She remarked residents in her lower-income neighborhood initially took the outages in stride. But now patience is wearing thin.

Notably, an electrical worker repairs power lines along a street in Gary, Ind, Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026, more than a week after a deadly storm passes through the area. Nam Y. Huh/AP hide caption.

"We're always in survival mode in Gary. And I think that's probably why it wasn't so much of an uproar since the first few days, it was like, 'OK, we're employed to this. But this is the second week now, " Hardin noted. "It's not OK for us to continually be in survival mode, doing the best that we can."

More than a week after the initial storm, plenty of residents in East Chicago, Indiana. This person lost power regained it, but then lost it again. Kevin Mejia, who has a community Facebook page, was in that category Thursday. Historic flooding kills at least 7 in Indiana.

"If I make one post, I get 500 comments, " Mejia, 30, remarked. "A lot of people have been reaching out to me for food: 'Hey, I threw out hundreds of dollars in groceries.' Elderly people don't know who to turn to."

He's been sleeping on the floor since his mattress is too warm. With no power, his window air conditioners are silent.

"We thrive best, you know, as humans on certainty and predictability, " Martin remarked. "So for something so devastating to happen so rapidly, it definitely takes a toll on residents mentally. Just not knowing what's coming next, where the next meal is going to come from, and when this is all going to be over. We need to have a light at the end of the tunnel."

In practice, the utility, NIPSCO, has called the destruction "unprecedented and widespread, " and remarked crews from around the country have arrived to assist repair downed wires, broken poles and damaged equipment.

Illinois, which is served by a different utility, recovered sooner from the same storm, but Melody Birmingham, an executive at NIPSCO's parent firm, stated that part of Illinois had fewer trees and different infrastructure, including some power lines that may have been buried.

"No storm is created equal, " she remarked. "No service territory is the same." Schools throughout northwest Indiana are still closed.

In practice, the power outages have additionally disrupted the start of the school year for thousands of children.

Gary's school district, with regarding 4, 300 students, kicked off its school year in early August but has been closed since Aug. 13 and will remain closed through at least Friday, authorities stated.

Portage Township Schools had to cancel its Aug. 12 start of classes since of the storm and now is planning an Aug. 25 launch of the academic year. Authorities this week stated there are "existing safety concerns regarding trees down across several properties and damage that needs to be repaired." Page-Tan noted school closures can have significant consequences for vulnerable families.

"For a lot of households that live paycheck to paycheck, if they are missing work because they're unable to find childcare, it can be detrimental to the stability of a family, " she remarked. Flash flooding brings new woes to central Ohio.

As Indiana seeks federal aid, the Midwest braces for more heavy flooding.

Two women who were on foot and trapped in a flooded creek were rescued, Fire Division Lt. Nick Davis remarked. According to He additionally, first responders saved the life of a 12-year-old bicyclist who was swept off a bridge in high water.

In practice, the city was still cleaning up from severe weekend thunderstorms when the heavy rains struck midweek.

"We've been all hands on deck supporting residents since last week, " Ginther remarked Thursday morning at a news conference. "We're going to be focused on recovery, even with this curveball from Mother Nature."

In short, ' Survival mode' : Indiana residents endure a ninth day without power is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.