{"id":1005285,"date":"2026-08-16T22:37:13","date_gmt":"2026-08-16T22:37:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/1005285\/"},"modified":"2026-08-16T22:37:13","modified_gmt":"2026-08-16T22:37:13","slug":"chicago-weather-storm-recovery-at-least-7-storm-related-deaths-across-indiana-power-outages-continue-lansing-cleaning-up","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/1005285\/","title":{"rendered":"Chicago weather, storm recovery: At least 7 storm-related deaths across Indiana, power outages continue; Lansing cleaning up"},"content":{"rendered":"

CHICAGO (WLS) — At least seven storm-related deaths have been reported across Indiana as of Sunday as power outages repairs in northwest Indiana continue following strong storms and flooding last week<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Many people in the Chicago area are still recovering from the damage, including Lansing, Illinois.<\/p>\n

ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24\/7. Click here to watch<\/a><\/p>\n

Three of the Indiana storm-related deaths were in the Chicago area, in Lake, Porter and LaPorte counties, and the others were in other parts of the state.<\/p>\n

The state was hit with historic rainfall. Several rivers burst their banks.<\/p>\n

In northwest Indiana, nearly 150,000 customers were still without power as of Sunday afternoon.<\/p>\n

Indiana Governor Mike Braun declared a statewide disaster emergency Friday. On Saturday, President Donald Trump approved his request for a Presidential Emergency Declaration<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Saturday evening, FEMA announced “federal disaster assistance is available to the state of Indiana to supplement state, tribal and local response efforts due to the emergency conditions resulting from severe storms, straight-line winds, tornadoes and flooding beginning on August 11, 2026, and continuing.”<\/p>\n

South suburban lawmakers in Illinois say their communities need FEMA funds too.<\/p>\n

New video from Lansing on Sunday gave an idea of how difficult the recovery process will be. The town was hit by one of six tornadoes that swept through the Chicago area<\/a> last week.<\/p>\n

On Sunday, Lansing’s mayor joined other local leaders to appeal for help from the federal government.<\/p>\n

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, who just visited Lansing Friday, is expected to issue a state disaster declaration soon.<\/p>\n

RELATED |<\/strong> Track power outages in your area with the ABC7 Chicago Power Outage Tracker<\/a><\/p>\n

A homeowner in Crown Point, Indiana, is demanding answers from NIPSCO after claiming a dangerous power line was left hanging in standing water for days since last week’s severe storms.<\/p>\n

Dinno Jahovic says the hazard on Wells Street was first reported to NIPSCO on Tuesday. He says he made additional calls Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, but that no one showed up to fix it.<\/p>\n

Overnight Saturday to Sunday, power was restored to the neighborhood, and the same line started sparking and caught fire along the driveway. Jahovic says a fire also broke out in a neighbor’s yard.<\/p>\n

No one was hurt in the incident, but Jahovic wants an investigation into why his repeated calls for help were not addressed before power was restored.<\/p>\n

NIPSCO said Sunday that they were notified of the fire, and sent workers to the site to help first responders.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, NIPSCO had to temporarily pause some of its storm restoration work in northwest Indiana after a crew’s vehicle was hit by gunfire<\/a> on Friday night, officials said.<\/p>\n

Gary Mayor Eddie Melton confirmed that gunfire hit a vehicle belonging to a NIPSCO utility crew who were working to restore power to residents. Melton said no one was injured, and police are investigating.<\/p>\n

The company said it temporarily paused storm restoration activities involving crews in Gary after the “serious incident.” Work in the area resumed Saturday evening.<\/p>\n

“Let me be clear: this type of violence is absolutely unacceptable and will not be tolerated in the City of Gary,” said Melton. “These crews are here for one reason-to help our residents and restore electricity to families who have already endured days without power.”<\/p>\n

NIPSCO issued a statement, saying, “NIPSCO is aware of a serious incident overnight in Gary involving our crews supporting our ongoing storm restoration efforts. We are working closely with law enforcement and gathering additional information. The safety of our employees, contractors and the communities we serve remains our highest priority. We are grateful that no injuries have been reported. In response to this incident, storm restoration activities involving crews have been temporarily paused in the city of Gary while we work with law enforcement and evaluate appropriate security measures to ensure the safety of our responders. We thank our employees, contractors, mutual assistance crews and law enforcement partners for their continued dedication and support during this historic restoration effort. Restoration work continues across northern Indiana, and we will provide additional information as it becomes available. We appreciate the patience and understanding of Gary residents as we take steps to ensure restoration efforts can continue safely.”<\/p>\n

Melton said the city is coordinating with NIPSCO, the Gary Police Department, the Indiana State Police, and state officials to ensure crews have the protection necessary to safely resume their restoration work. Indiana State Police is deploying additional troopers to help local departments.<\/p>\n

Some Gary residents who have been without electricity since Tuesday say they are frustrated after learning that power restoration efforts were temporarily paused due to the incident.<\/p>\n

This week’s storms led to the cancellation of next weekend’s Gary Air Show. The organizers say the need for first responders to assist in the cleanup is more important than the show happening this year. They hope to be back next summer.<\/p>\n

In Chicago, weather conditions delayed the city’s Air and Water Show<\/a> on Saturday and Sunday.<\/p>\n

The Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events said producers worked with the Federal Aviation Administration to assess flight conditions and ensure the safety of performing acts, attendees and event staff.<\/p>\n

FULL FORECAST |<\/strong> Chicago weather: Scattered storms, showers Sunday<\/a><\/p>\n

More storms had been forecast to hit the Chicago area between 3 a.m. and 8 a.m. Sunday.<\/p>\n

Once that morning rain moved out on, the rest of the day looked mostly dry with highs in the low 80s. Next week’s forecast offers limited rain chances, bringing some relief to areas hit hard by Tuesday’s storms<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Residents whose homes suffered storm damage Tuesday and Wednesday in Cook County are being asked to complete an online survey<\/a> by Aug. 24.<\/p>\n

Cook County Radar<\/a> | DuPage County Radar<\/a> | Will County Radar<\/a> | Lake County Radar (IL)<\/a> | Kane County Radar<\/a> | Northwest Indiana Radar<\/a>
<\/p>\n

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