Photo: Ajayllah/TikTok, timmyshelltoe/Instagram
Eight days after severe storms tore through Northwest Indiana, thousands of Gary residents remain without electricity — and people living through the outage say the situation is becoming increasingly difficult to endure.
As of Tuesday (August 18) morning, 26,984 Northern Indiana Public Service Company (NIPSCO) customers in Gary were still without power, according to the Chicago Crusader. Across NIPSCO’s broader area, the service company reported Wednesday (August 19) that 87,745 customers across its service area remained without electricity, with more than 282,000 customers restored since the storms began.
Gary is a predominantly Black city, with Black residents making up 84.8% of the population, according to the City of Gary.
For residents documenting the aftermath on social media, the prolonged outage is about more than a number. It is spoiled food, dark streets, sweltering homes and uncertainty over when normal life will return.
Gary resident and TikTok creator Aja, who posts under @.aja_ba, has been documenting the experience in real time. In a video posted Sunday night (August 16), she wrote over footage: “Day 6 no power Gary Indiana. Pitch black dark for miles. No gas, no food, no power.”
In a series of videos posted Tuesday (August 18), Aja described her refrigerator as “as empty as my soul,” saying that she lives in a food desert where residents rely heavily on Family Dollar and a local grocery store. She said those options were also closed.
“I have no food,” she said.
Aja also said she has an autistic daughter whose usual screen time has effectively disappeared during the outage, adding that the lack of air conditioning has made conditions inside her home particularly difficult. She said a fallen tree damaged her roof, leaving holes in multiple areas and making an already hot and humid house even harder to tolerate.
In another update, Aja said she was “exhausted and feeling extremely down” after eight days without electricity.
“It is pitch black dark, still,” she said in another update, pointing out that there were not even visible streetlights in her area.
The power restoration effort has also been complicated by violence. NIPSCO paused storm restoration work in Gary after a utility vehicle was struck by gunfire while crews were working Friday night, according to WTHR.
For residents already waiting days for electricity, the pause has added to their frustration.
One Gary resident named Timmy said in an Instagram post he spent seven days without power before finally paying for a hotel room — only for the electricity go out there, too.
As residents continue to navigate outages, local outlets are tracking resources available to help them through the recovery. Capital B Gary has compiled information on storm-relief efforts, including free food, oxygen refills, cleanup assistance and other resources for residents. The outlet also reported that the Gary branch of the NAACP, in partnership with NIPSCO, was providing free meals to residents.
Still, residents insist assistance does not erase the reality of living day after day without basic utilities.
That reality caught the attention of food influencer Keith Lee, who posted about Gary’s prolonged outage on TikTok.
“We were talking about doing a food tour in the Midwest,” Lee said. “How are we gonna do a food tour in the Midwest and Gary ain’t had no power and ain’t nobody talking about it?”
Lee said he had been in contact with the mayor’s office and the Salvation Army about potentially traveling to Gary and distributing supplies.
“I think it should be national news,” Lee said, calling attention to the fact that communities like Gary had been without power for eight days.
For Aja, the outage is already interfering with plans for the future. She said she has been trying to find a laundromat and is supposed to return to nursing school Monday, but does not know whether she will be able to because she lacks basic necessities.
In one of her videos, she described being unable to secure either a hotel room or a generator for three consecutive nights.
“Third night in a row we’ve been unable to secure a hotel or a generator,” she said. “And I think I’m going f**king insane.”
Eight days after the storm, Gary residents are still waiting—in the dark—for power, relief and a clear answer about when they can expect either.
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