Gary is still waiting for power nearly two weeks after deadly storms

Gary Mayor Eddie Melton gives an update Sunday as the city continues recovering from widespread power outages. Screenshot: City of Gary/YouTube

GARY, Ind. (ABNN) - Gary, Indiana, is moving into its second week of widespread power outages after severe storms left residents, families and businesses waiting for relief.

Mayor Eddie Melton said Sunday the city is now on day twelve of the recovery process and that the wait has gone on too long.

"We're at day twelve, and twelve days is too long for families to be without power," Melton said. "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."

Melton said NIPSCO has set Aug. 25 as the target date for full restoration, but said power was still being restored Sunday and that he is pushing the utility to finish sooner.

"While NIPSCO has set a target date of August 25th for full restoration, power is still being restored as we speak right now," Melton said. "And I am still pressing them to fully restore Gary's power before the August 25th date, which is this Tuesday."

The update comes as residents in the majority-Black city continue to deal with the fallout from the storm, raising questions about infrastructure, emergency response and how long families are expected to wait.

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