Gary, Indiana

[Anianna]

There may be lessons to learn here, but the information is scant.  On Tuesday, 11 August, a derecho hit northwest Indiana.  Some areas remain without power even now, notably Gary, Indiana, a once thriving boomtown that has been essentially a defunct low income area for several years now.

Very little has shown up in news reports, almost nothing at all on national news, with sporadic reports from local news stations in nearby areas.  Notably, a vehicle from the local utility provider was damaged by gunfire in Gary in the days just after the storm, which is cited as one reason the provider chose to focus on other areas first.  

Every other bit of information comes from social media posts that can't be vetted, but many of them claim there have been people breaking into homes to steal supplies and generators.  Residents are arming themselves and barricading their homes.  This area is likely full of people who don't have the money to prep to any degree of sufficiency.  Some claim to be out of food and water.  

I suspect Red Cross is there trying to help, but, in my experience, Red Cross sets up at a location and residents have to come to them for assistance, but gas pumps aren't working in an extended area, either, and anybody without internet access or a portable radio likely aren't getting that information.  People are desperate and afraid and it's hard to tell what information on social media is real and what isn't, which is likely only compounding the fear people there are feeling.  I suspect that's why the power company truck was fired on.  

Recent news suggests it will be several more days before Gary residents get power back on.  As is typical in these kinds of emergencies, the Indiana National Guard is on the scene for debris cleanup.  I wonder if the Guard will be expected to guard power company teams as they move through Gary.  

[majorhavoc]

Coverage in the New York Times here.

Definitely some lessons for prepper.

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/21/us/gary-indiana-power-outage.html?unlocked_article_code=1.7VA.ZRgG.fRDi-oSCWYgT&smid=url-share
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/21/us/gary-indiana-power-outage.html?unlocked_article_code=1.7VA.ZRgG.fRDi-oSCWYgT&smid=url-share

[Moab]

Coverage in the New York Times here.

Definitely some lessons for preppers,

I've seen this in the news. But can you summarize the article? It's behind a paywall.

What is a "derecho"?

[majorhavoc]

Coverage in the New York Times here.

Definitely some lessons for preppers,

I've seen this in the news. But can you summarize the article? It's behind a paywall.

What is a "derecho"?

That's weird, it's supposed to be a gift article.  My NYTimes subscription allows me to share unblocked individual articles with non-subscribers.  I've edited my post to add the free access link again. 

In a nutshell: what Anianna said.  August 11th rain storms with unusually powerful winds (80-100mph) caused major flooding and downed trees throughout the city of Gary, Indiana.  It's a particularly impoverished community near Chicago and residents there have been without power at the height of summer heat for going on 10 days now. 

City officials said that donations of money and supplies have poured into Gary. Lowe's sent a truck with hundreds of buckets and cleanup kits; food trucks have set up in neighborhoods to feed hungry residents; a medical facility equipped a bus to treat people. Shelters have opened to feed and house residents.
One company drove around handing out tarps so that residents could cover damaged roofs and prevent even more rain from seeping inside.

Mike Curtis, a 63-year-old retired truck driver, was busy on Friday sawing apart fallen trees behind his garage. He lives with his wife in a brick bungalow and has been without power since the storm.
"I've been in Gary since I was 4 years old," he said. "I've never seen anything like this."
To many people, the weather on Aug. 11 — ferocious rain, thunder and lightning — did not seem unusual for summer in the Midwest.

"I thought it was just a typical thunderstorm," said Raydia Martin, the assistant director of Flourish Community Hub, a nonprofit that provides social services. "It was way more devastating than I initially thought."

Anianna has a point that this doesn't seem to be getting the coverage it deserves.  10 days is a long time to restore power in a modern, non-rural community.  Maybe I'm just cynical and I certainly don't want to get into politics, but I cannot help but think if this were a more affluent community, power would have been restored by now.  I'm noticing that the article doesn't mention any reports of looting, something I would have expected at least some of, after 10 days.  The whole 72 hour rule and all.  Either it's not happening or the reporting is - like the official response - inadequate.

A derecho is a unsually powerful thunderstorm with a very drawn out footprint known for straightline winds exceeding 60mph.  This sounds like it was a really bad one.

[Moab]

I thought there was something about looting and crime?

I sort of have a thing against news orgs who post articles online. And then when you click they either force you to pay or join. It's cheaply predatory at the very least. 

That might have worked in 1999. But not anymore. I'm happy to read your article and possibly hit one of your advertising links. Or otherwise bring you income by going to your site by going there. 

But in the mean time everytime I discover one of these I block them from my news feed. 

Our lives are already a constant cacophony of digital content. I refuse to go out of my way to pay for more. Especially since it's not fair and balanced news to begin with. Not saying that this is the only one like that. Few if any are balanced actual news anymore. It's completely editorial. Or opinion - for those of you that don't remember the difference. 

By that I don't mean your ignorant. I just recall a time when the evening news was just that - fair, balanced, unbiased news reporting. Then at the end of each evening broadcast they would put the word "Editorial" in large type on the screen. 

Clearly noting that the last 5 minute segment was devoted to someone's "opinion" about a given issue. Thus the word "Editorial". Clearly pointing out the difference between news and editorial.

There is no news left. It's just all arguments and editorial. People or owners opinions. That and the petty predatory nature of false links getting to you pay or forced to be tracked by signing up. Has had the NYT on my block list for some time. And no it's not because I am blatantly liberal or conservative. They are both guilty. I just tend to make decisions based in single issues not any political leaning.

Stepping off my soapbox.

[DarkAxel]

Even that unlocked article requires me to put in my email address to see it. The NYT is harvesting email and cookie data and selling it to data brokers. I'm very careful about opting out of such garbage when I sign up for things on the web, and it took me a lot of time and work to almost eliminate the amount of spam and scam emails I was getting everyday. One day I made the mistake of giving the NYT my email address to read an article, and afterward I was deluged by the kind of crap I didn't want junking up my inbox. I'm still working to fix the damage from that one article. 

[majorhavoc]

Even that unlocked article requires me to put in my email address to see it. The NYT is harvesting email and cookie data and selling it to data brokers. I'm very careful about opting out of such garbage when I sign up for things on the web, and it took me a lot of time and work to almost eliminate the amount of spam and scam emails I was getting everyday. One day I made the mistake of giving the NYT my email address to read an article, and afterward I was deluged by the kind of crap I didn't want junking up my inbox. I'm still working to fix the damage from that one article.

That I didn't realize.  I'll stop sharing those links.

[Anianna]

Unfortunately, NY Times doesn't play nicely with the paywall defeaters, so I can't provide a stripped link to read it without an account.  

[Moab]

Even that unlocked article requires me to put in my email address to see it. The NYT is harvesting email and cookie data and selling it to data brokers. I'm very careful about opting out of such garbage when I sign up for things on the web, and it took me a lot of time and work to almost eliminate the amount of spam and scam emails I was getting everyday. One day I made the mistake of giving the NYT my email address to read an article, and afterward I was deluged by the kind of crap I didn't want junking up my inbox. I'm still working to fix the damage from that one article.

(DON'T CLICK ON THOSE EMAIL LINKS BELOW. THEY WON'T WORK.)

I feel you.

One trick that doesn't fix anything. But can help you identify who's selling your email:

Gmail Plus Addressing

If your Gmail address is:

patrick@gmail.com

You can give websites variations such as:

patrick+amazon@gmail.com
patrick+netflix@gmail.com
patrick+hotel@gmail.com

All of these still deliver to your normal Gmail inbox.

This lets you identify who may have shared or sold your address.

For example, if you sign up for a website using:

patrick+acme2026@gmail.com

and later receive spam addressed to that exact address, you have a strong indication that Acme—or someone they shared your address with—is the source.

One limitation: some websites reject addresses containing "+", while others strip the "+tag" before storing or sharing your email. In those cases, the tracking won't work.

Gmail also treats dots as irrelevant:

patrick@gmail.com
p.atrick@gmail.com
pa.trick@gmail.com

These all reach the same Gmail account, but dots are much less useful for tracking because companies commonly normalize them.

For tracking who leaks your address, use Gmail's "+companyname" format. It is the most practical method without creating separate Gmail accounts.

(Not sure if this works with other email addresses.)

[Moab]

Even that unlocked article requires me to put in my email address to see it. The NYT is harvesting email and cookie data and selling it to data brokers. I'm very careful about opting out of such garbage when I sign up for things on the web, and it took me a lot of time and work to almost eliminate the amount of spam and scam emails I was getting everyday. One day I made the mistake of giving the NYT my email address to read an article, and afterward I was deluged by the kind of crap I didn't want junking up my inbox. I'm still working to fix the damage from that one article.

That I didn't realize.  I'll stop sharing those links.

It's no worries brother. Frustration was not directed at you at all. You didn't know.

I've had to block several news orgs in my Google news feed for this practice. Selling your data is slimy. But just the hassle if getting directed to a story you can't read is just annoying. Especially when hundreds, if not at least dozens, of other outlets are probably carrying the same story. Where you CAN read it without this hassle for free. 

[Moab]

 Some valid but clear headed info. I ran several queries thru more than one AI. 

"A derecho on August 11, 2026, with winds up to 99 mph struck Northwest Indiana, causing NIPSCO's largest outage on record (over 300,000 customers initially). Gary was among the hardest-hit areas due to extensive pole and line damage plus debris that slowed repairs. By August 21–22 thousands of Gary customers (often 20,000+) remained without power; full restoration was targeted for August 25. Residents faced spoiled food, no air conditioning, closed schools and businesses, and extra hardship in a city where about one-third live in poverty. City, state, and federal aid included food distribution, charging stations, and emergency declarations.


Reports of crime and safety concerns
The total darkness (no streetlights) heightened fear of crime. Residents described conditions as "Gotham City," "pitch black for miles," and "extremely dangerous" at night, with some staying awake late to watch property.

Documented incidents include:
- Generator thefts: Multiple residents reported (or feared) generators being stolen from porches or left unsecured. One person said they stayed up until 4 a.m. guarding a $1,000 generator. Police stated the actual number was lower than social media claims—fewer than a dozen confirmed—and described many as crimes of opportunity involving unsecured equipment. Public service announcements encouraged reporting.
- Vehicle break-ins: At least one resident reported a car break-in, contributing to trauma and heightened vigilance.
- Gunfire at utility workers: On the night of August 14/15, a NIPSCO vehicle (a Jeep SUV used by crews surveying damage) was struck by gunfire in the 200 block of Rutledge Street. Bullets hit the rear window, a headrest, and the vehicle body; no one was injured. An off-duty officer was nearby but neither the workers nor the officer saw the shooter. Restoration work in Gary was temporarily paused for security assessment, then resumed the same day with coordination from Gary Police and additional Indiana State Police protection. Officials called it isolated and unacceptable; investigation continued with no arrests detailed in available reports. One later comment suggested it may have related to a nearby home-intrusion attempt, but this was not confirmed by authorities.

Looting of stores or widespread civil disorder: Major news outlets did not report confirmed mass looting of businesses. One social-media-linked caption referenced a resident claiming people had started looting after the storms, but this was not corroborated as large-scale store ransacking in mainstream coverage. Police focused public comments on generator thefts being lower than rumored rather than broader looting.

Overall, the prolonged outage created conditions of desperation and elevated property-crime risk (especially theft of generators) plus one violent incident targeting utility crews. Safety concerns were driven more by complete darkness and opportunistic theft than by organized or widespread looting. Local law enforcement increased presence around restoration crews, and residents adapted by securing valuables and staying vigilant.

Power restoration efforts continued with hundreds of workers, and full recovery for Gary was targeted for August 25. Residents and officials continued pressing for faster progress and better support amid the ongoing recovery."

[MacWa77ace]

Wow, 10 days without A/C in the summertime had me ready to decry the leadership and power company. Having myself recently endured survived 3 nights and 3 days here in SE Florida over Memorial Day weekend with a broken A/C. Saturday afternoon compressor fan motor went down on a holiday weekend of course. Inside temps were topping 95.

But then I looked up the weather forecast for Gary. Highs below 80 and lows in the mid 60's for the next week. In my AO with those temps we'd have the windows open and be wearing sweaters at night and appreciating the lovely weather.

You cannot view this attachment.

Today's temps in and around my house.

You cannot view this attachment.

Patio 97
Living room 76
Back bedroom 81
Attic 122

Gary 59 degree lows? That's January in Florida. 

No electricity for 10 days? That's a crime.

[Anianna]

Wow, 10 days without A/C in the summertime had me ready to decry the leadership and power company. Having myself recently endured survived 3 nights and 3 days here in SE Florida over Memorial Day weekend with a broken A/C. Saturday afternoon compressor fan motor went down on a holiday weekend of course. Inside temps were topping 95.

But then I looked up the weather forecast for Gary. Highs below 80 and lows in the mid 60's for the next week. In my AO with those temps we'd have the windows open and be wearing sweaters at night and appreciating the lovely weather.

You cannot view this attachment.

Today's temps in and around my house.

You cannot view this attachment.

Patio 97
Living room 76
Back bedroom 81
Attic 122

Gary 59 degree lows? That's January in Florida. 

No electricity for 10 days? That's a crime.

When we went through a hurricane that knocked out our power for almost two weeks in rural bumfuck nowhere, it was around this time of year and in the high nineties.  Before we lost power, the hurricane had been forecast to come in as far as we were, but not much farther.  To get a break from the heat after a day or two cooped up, we drove inland to Mechanicsville, a small city outside of Richmond the city folks still considered rural about a forty minute drive away from us, but it was also without power, so we kept driving.

Turned out all of Richmond had been hit and was out of power.  There was one Target open, dimly lit and doing cash-only business.  We bought some snacks and went home to our doublewide oven to bake some more.  At least the car ride was cool.  

[DarkAxel]

Even that unlocked article requires me to put in my email address to see it. The NYT is harvesting email and cookie data and selling it to data brokers. I'm very careful about opting out of such garbage when I sign up for things on the web, and it took me a lot of time and work to almost eliminate the amount of spam and scam emails I was getting everyday. One day I made the mistake of giving the NYT my email address to read an article, and afterward I was deluged by the kind of crap I didn't want junking up my inbox. I'm still working to fix the damage from that one article.

That I didn't realize.  I'll stop sharing those links.

It's no worries brother. Frustration was not directed at you at all. You didn't know.

I've had to block several news orgs in my Google news feed for this practice. Selling your data is slimy. But just the hassle if getting directed to a story you can't read is just annoying. Especially when hundreds, if not at least dozens, of other outlets are probably carrying the same story. Where you CAN read it without this hassle for free.

Yeah, not aiming any anger at MajorHavoc myself. The NYT on the other hand...


Those same storms that have been pushing through Indiana have also been pushing through my area in SE Kentucky. We even had a suspected tornado last week, and we've been dealing with sporadic power outages, but my folks here have been lucky and we've only had to fire up the genny one day. Other areas in this and surrounding counties have dealt with two or three days at most. If limited power crews in this rural area can get the power back on in days, what does that say about Gary?

[Rednex]

I'm in Bluffton Indiana about 3 hours east south east of Gary.  There are lawsuits against the power company stating they failed to have trees trimmed before the storm that is one reason for the power issues in different parts of the state. Like Dark said those storms been in Kentucky, Illinois, Michigan, even where i used to live ( outside Dover Delaware) has had tornadoes from these storms. The Delaware tornadoes went down rt 13 south dover ( about a mile or 2 south of the race way) damaged 2 hotels and one took part of the back wall of a Kraft foods warehouse. Then back to Indy in  Anderson IN, Berne I,N Indianapolis IN major flooding. There was a videos of a guy jet skiing down the road in Indianapolis.   I know in Garret a transformer caught fire and they lost power, with everyone going to help the bigger problems they don't have people local to respond so even a small problem that is normally 2 hours turns into a 2 day issue because resources are scattered .

The one stepson works as a road flagger and has been out all over the state flagging for clean up, flooding and utility work. Not sure if he has been to Gary i know he has gone west to the state line. He is liking the money but misses sleep.

[Moab]

I'm in the Phillipines! I have you all beat! Trust me. I die in the brown outs and the AC goes off. We go sit in my car. Lol! 

But most people here live without AC. I visit my GFs family and feel like a wimp. I am way more used to the heat though after the last year plus. I sweated my ass off the first couple months. 

The weird thing is it's the rainy season right now. But it's hot as hell. Supposed to be El Nino for another two months. Really unusually hot. But even in the rainy season and it's pouring down rain all day. It's still hot. Your still walking around in a t-shirt and shorts.

[Uomo Senza Nome]

Gary is overwhelmingly black and has been drastically underserved for decades. If it were a country it would have the fifth highest murder rate in the world, on par with the highest in the US (USVI). I don't know if reporters feel safe going down there to cover something they don't even care about.