It’s still unknown when some Northwest Indiana students will start school after a powerful derecho-tornado combo ripped through Lake and Porter counties Tuesday.
In hard-hit Hobart, Gary, Lake Station, Munster and Portage, officials couldn’t say yet when classes will open.
Schools in both Hobart and Munster suffered roof damage that could reroute students from classrooms as repairs are made.
Indiana National Guard soldiers labored in Hobart, Gary and Munster to clear trees and limbs to reopen streets. Neighbors helped each other cut downed trees and drag them to the curb.
As of Saturday, many schools remained without power. As of 11 a.m. Saturday, NIPSCO said around 158,000 customers remained without power. More than 300,000 customers experienced a lack of power after Tuesday’s storms, and around 20,000 additional customers have been affected by other storms throughout the week.
NIPSCO anticipates approximately 90% of customers will have power restored by 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, August 18, while the remaining customers should have power by 11:59 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 21. NIPSCO expects to release community-specific restoration estimates on Sunday night.
Gov. Mike Braun indicated Saturday that his request for a Presidential Emergency Declaration is likely to be approved after a call with President Donald Trump earlier in the day, according to a news release from Braun’s office. The approval would make up to $5 million in federal assistance available to support emergency response efforts across Indiana, including water rescues, sandbagging and other flood-fighting efforts, evacuations and shelters, emergency supplies, medical transportation, emergency access and moving equipment and resources into impacted communities.
Hobart Superintendent Peggy Buffington shared a message on the district’s website and social media that detailed the obstacles ahead.
She stressed school would not start Monday and she didn’t provide a return date.
“One of our largest challenges to reopening is transportation after power is restored. Low hanging and downed lines remain problematic along several routes,” she said.
Buffington said bus drivers will conduct practice runs to determine if it’s safe to travel on their routes.
Transportation workers will also evaluate bus stops for debris, downed wires, and other hazards. Two-thirds of students ride buses.
Entrances at Liberty and Veterans Elementary Schools are blocked by downed power lines.
Hobart Middle School has regained power, and Buffington hoped other schools would soon have power.
“We talk to NIPSCO daily… and the city of Hobart has been an incredible partner,” she said.
Part of the roof at Hobart Middle School came off in the storm and could affect a few classrooms, she said.
Munster High School suffered roof damage as well as water damage to some classrooms, communications director Kim Peirick confirmed Thursday. Currently, schools are operating on generators, which “do not provide the reliable power necessary to safely and fully operate our schools,” according to a district email.
On Friday, the School Town of Munster sent out a tentative back-to-school plan that said several conditions need to be in place for it to issue a start date, including stable power being restored to its buildings, facilities being safe and fully operational, food service must be ready to serve students, and roads and sidewalks throughout the town must be safe for travel.
Once those conditions are met, the district will hold an Optional Workday for staff to ensure buildings are safe, followed by the first day for K-12 students and Pre-K students will start classes two days later, the email stated.
In Gary, Superintendent Yvonne Stokes said damage to schools was minimal except for a tree at the West Side Leadership Academy which fell and crashed through window injuring an employee.
Glass from the window went through the employee’s leg and he received care and stitches at a local emergency room.
The schools still don’t have power, so there is no return date yet, according to Gary schools spokesperson Chelsea Whittington.
Lake Station Superintendent Christine Pepa said schools didn’t sustain any major damage.
“We were lucky,” she said, although Hamilton and Edison schools have trees down.
She said school can start as soon as power is restored.
“We have been assessing bus routes due to the downed power lines and trees,” she said.
She said the district has been working with the city to provide food and shelter during the storm recovery.
School City of Hammond officials reported many schools were still without power. Officials tentatively hope to resume classes Tuesday. In a Saturday morning Facebook post, Mayor Thomas McDermott said about 12,472 meters in Hammond remain without power.
Crown Point teachers return to school Monday with students tentatively following on Tuesday.
Power outages prevented Lake Central schools from reopening, but officials are tentatively eyeing Monday for students to return.
Griffith schools plans to open on Tuesday, with Meet the Teacher night scheduled for Monday.
Meanwhile, Andrean High School tentatively hopes to mark it’s return to class Tuesday after a devastating tornado in June. Freshman Orientation is scheduled for Monday, according to a email from the school.
Portage Township Schools reported power is still out at all schools except Portage High School. Officials were still assessing damage to schools on Friday.
School leaders said school won’t start before Wednesday and the school board will likely determine how the delay will impact the school calendar. The district has used all its servable food providing it to the community earlier in the week.
It won’t receive a new shipment until Tuesday.
Portage Mayor Austin Bonta confirmed in a Saturday Facebook post that about 95% of the city’s roads are clear of debris, which allowed volunteers to clean up fallen limbs and trees on the Prairie Duneland Trail. The city is waiting for permission from NIPSCO to clear the remaining 5% of roadways as it involves power lines, Bonta said.
Duneland schools remain closed due to outages throughout its buildings, numerous impassable roads and downed power lines throughout the community, according to the district website. Emergency generators in each building only provide lighting to approximately 10% of the light fixtures and do not operate mechanical systems such as air conditioning or water heaters. The district expects to share information about a potential school start date this weekend, the message stated.
About 70% of power has been restored to Valparaiso, according to a release from the city, but there wasn’t an updated school start date on the Valparaiso Community Schools’ website.
Other districts in Porter County fared better.
East Porter schools regained power at Washington Township school on Thursday and students returned Friday.
Students at Morgan and Kouts school had already returned to school.
Carole Carlson is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.