Braun Blasts NIPSCO as 21,000 Indiana Customers Remain Without Power After 110-mph Derecho
Updated
Updated · NBC Chicago · Aug 23
Braun Blasts NIPSCO as 21,000 Indiana Customers Remain Without Power After 110-mph Derecho
3 articles · Updated · NBC Chicago · Aug 23
Summary
More than 21,000 NIPSCO customers were still without electricity Sunday, nearly two weeks after the Aug. 11 derecho, prompting Indiana Gov. Mike Braun to call the utility’s response “unacceptable.”
Braun said NIPSCO has “ample resources” and “no excuse” for delays after he mobilized the Indiana National Guard and state agencies to clear access for repair crews.
NIPSCO said crews are working 24 hours a day on what it called the worst storm recovery in its history; the utility says it has restored more than 350,000 customers after outages hit over 60% of its base.
Gary still had about 10,000 customers offline, down from 38,000, while most customers in Gary and Portage may wait until late Tuesday for restoration and Munster until at least Monday night.
The prolonged outage has widened local backlash, with Gary Mayor Eddie Melton saying northwest Indiana residents feel forgotten as the recovery drags on.