Indiana residents endure 11th day without power after storms topple power lines

Key Points:

• Thousands of residents in northwest Indiana remain without power 11 days after severe storms caused widespread damage, with 33,124 customers still affected, particularly in Gary where restoration may take until Tuesday.
• The Northern Indiana Public Service Company (Nipsco) has restored power to over 341,000 customers but faces criticism and a proposed class-action lawsuit alleging inadequate tree trimming contributed to extended outages.
• Residents report numerous hardships including spoiled food, lack of air conditioning, and limited access to essentials, with some resorting to charging phones in cars and spending nights in vehicles to stay cool.
• The storms brought extreme weather including winds up to 99 mph, flooding, and tornadoes, resulting in fatalities and severe damage across Indiana and neighboring states; the governor has requested expedited federal disaster assistance.
• Indiana has received an emergency declaration and state relief funds are available, but community members express frustration over the slow recovery and perceived neglect of poorer areas like Gary.