LAKE COUNTY, Ind. (WLS) — In the wake of severe weather disturbances and subsequent NIPSCO power outages, World Central Kitchen stepped up to provide complimentary meals to the residents of northwest Indiana, particularly in Gary. This benevolent non-profit is renowned for delivering fresh meals to communities grappling with the aftermath of natural calamities and conflicts.
Since August 11, following a series of fierce storms that swept through the Chicago region, thousands of Indiana residents have been enduring the challenges of living without power.
NIPSCO, as of Sunday afternoon, revealed that power outages were still impacting over 17,000 customers in northwest Indiana. They projected that all services should be restored by Tuesday. Notably, Gary and Portage in Indiana remain the most affected, still plunged in darkness.
Amidst this dire situation, a beacon of hope arrived on Saturday when ComEd teamed up with the Chicago Bears to announce new aid for the beleaguered region.
ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. Click here to watch
By early Sunday afternoon, just before 2 p.m., the community witnessed a heartening sight— a truck brimming with food and water arrived at the Lake Ridge Fire Department, staffed entirely by volunteers. Over the preceding days, local allies have steadily intensified their efforts to bolster community support.
“Our community has no water. No toilets. No sewers. They can’t brush their teeth,” said Tim Kuiper with the Lake Ridge Fire Protection District. “They have no power, so we’re just getting whatever resources we can get to help them.”
What started with water giveaways has grown to a full-fledged effort that now includes mobile showers. But it is the food that is most needed. Those hardest hit by the storms here are already among the region’s most vulnerable.
“I go to food banks for food,” said resident Sharon Dickerson, who is still without power. “I had to throw my food in the garbage, so I’m trying to survive now.”
“I make maybe $15 an hour. I’m barely surviving,” said resident Amanda Finlay, who is also still without power. And everything that’s going on it’s not making it any better.
Among those providing aid and comfort are Lilly and World Central Kitchen, founded by celebrity chef José Andrés. the non-profit is most often seen in disaster areas across the world providing hot meals to those hardest hit. On Sunday, the organization handed out about 700 meals, not just in Lake Ridge, but across Gary, just miles from the high-end restaurants Andrés owns and operates in Chicago. Local volunteer and chef Jack Velasquez has been hard at work mobilizing other local chefs to join in the effort.
“There’s 11 different sites that we went to yesterday just to see,” Velasquez said. “There were some centers set up to see where they great need was and this is one of them here today.”
Indiana Governor Mike Braun is asking the federal government to issue a major disaster declaration to help with relief efforts across the state. The request estimates property damage costs have topped $5 billion.
In an effort to accelerate restoration work, ComEd dispatched more than 60 employees to northwest Indiana on Saturday to assist NIPSCO crews. The workers are expected to remain in the area for several days.
Also on Saturday, the Bears announced $200,000 in donations to storm relief efforts in southeast Cook County and northwest Indiana. The NFL team said $100,000 is going to Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago and $100,000 is going to Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Gary.
Meanwhile, a class-action lawsuit against Northern Indiana Public Service Company has been filed. The lawsuit claims NIPSCO inadequately performed vegetation management in and around power lines and that fallen trees led to power outages that impacted people’s lives.
The lawsuit filed on behalf of Indiana residents alleges the widespread outages could have been prevented. Attorneys representing plaintiffs claim NIPSCO failed to properly manage vegetation and did not conduct adequate inspections of utility poles and power lines.
NIPSCO denied the allegations, saying it maintains an active vegetation management program and plans to vigorously defend itself through the legal process.
The utility also addressed concerns from customers who remain without power while continuing to receive utility bills.
“With respect to customer’s bills, we’ve suspended any kind of disconnection through the next week,” said NIPSCO President Melody Birmingham. “We’ll continue to work with our customers and put programs in place for any customers who have a difficult time paying that bill.”
NIPSCO issued the following statement Friday:
“We strongly disagree with the characterization of NIPSCO’s vegetation management practices in the Amended Complaint and the various press conferences held by the law firm of Kenneth Allen Law Group. We will vigorously defend the company through the legal process. NIPSCO’s electric operations, including its active vegetation management program, are overseen by the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission. NIPSCO’s vegetation management spend has more than doubled since 2016, demonstrating our commitment and focus on maintaining a safe and reliable electric system. NIPSCO understands the impact that prolonged outages can have on our customers and communities, particularly following storms, and in particular, the severe weather events that caused unprecedented damage across NIPSCO’s electric system that recently transpired. Safety and reliability are fundamental to how we operate, and we have established processes and procedures to maintain our electric system, including our vegetation management program. Our immediate focus remains on restoring service to affected customers safely and as quickly as possible.”
Copyright © 2026 WLS-TV. All Rights Reserved.