Indiana City Faces Twelve Days Without Power

The long outage has been especially hard because about one third of Gary's 70,000 residents live in poverty. Families have thrown away spoiled food, waited in line for hot meals and looked for places to charge their phones. Schools have stayed closed because fallen trees made buildings unsafe. Experts warn that the risks grow every day: generators can cause carbon monoxide poisoning if used indoors, food goes bad, and medical machines can stop working. The same storm hit neighbouring Illinois, but power there came back much sooner. An executive at NIPSCO's parent company said that area had fewer trees and some power lines under the ground.

Angry residents have started a class-action lawsuit — a court case brought by a large group — accusing NIPSCO of failing to cut back the trees that fell on its power lines. The company denies doing anything wrong and says it will defend itself in court. Repair teams from across the country are fixing broken poles and equipment, but full power may not return to some neighbourhoods until almost two weeks after the storm. Volunteers have handed out meals and supplies, and religious leaders have said publicly that twelve days without electricity is long enough.