In Gary<\/a>, the storm knocked out electricity<\/a> for more than half of the city’s residents, where about one in three people lives in poverty, according to<\/a> U.S. Census data. <\/p>\n “It’s not OK for us to continually be in survival mode,” said Hardin. “We don’t have service in this area at all whatsoever. At night, the streets, the roads, everything is pitch black besides the lights from the cars.”<\/p>\n Workers from True Cut Tree Care of Farmington, Michigan, remove a tree from the front of a home after it was toppled during a recent storm on Aug. 20, 2026, in Gary, Indiana.\u00a0<\/p>\n Scott Olson \/ Getty Images<\/p>\n As of Saturday, just over 30,100 customers of the Northern Indiana Public Service Company, the region’s electrical utility provider, were still without power. At the height of the storms, 374,500 customers had no electricity.<\/p>\n On Thursday, Indiana Gov. Mike Braun requested an expedited major disaster declaration from FEMA for 54 counties. He estimates losses from the storm and its aftermath could top $5 billion. \u00a0<\/p>\n “If granted, this declaration will mean significantly more resources to accelerate Indiana’s recovery from the recent severe weather,” Braun wrote<\/a> on social media.<\/p>\n Many residents in Gary have been relying on a community center for hot meals, air conditioning and a chance to charge their phones.<\/p>\n![\"Over](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/gettyimages-2291343083.jpg#.jpeg\")
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