From Newsgroup: alt.politics.usa

GARY, Ind. u Gary remains in the dark for the 11th day after powerful
storms went through Northwest Indiana, leaving thousands of residents
without power.

Nearly 21,000 Gary NIPSCO customers remain without power as of Friday afternoon out of a total of 43,329 across Northwest Indiana.

It was a scary day for Gary resident Shumaine Douglas on Aug. 11. Heavy
winds reaching nearly 100 miles per hour uprooted a tree in her backyard
that ended up cracking her roof.

In addition to not having power, she's dealing with flooding because her
sump pump went out.

"I'm pinching on food that I might be okay because we got a generator going
in and out, " Douglas told WGN News. "I think some of that food had messed
me up, so I just said 'let's throw everything away. We're going to have to start over. '"

Gary mayor Eddie Melton joined WGN Morning News Friday to discuss the
ongoing blackouts.

"We are learning more transmission lines are down which let's us know that
the amount of work is heavy" Melton said. "That why my demand to request NIPSCO today, I've been on the phone with them all morning, that they bring
in more crews from around the country. "
NIPSCO's latest outage numbers; Gary mayor provides update at WGN

Melton thinks there's a responsibility for NIPSCO to resolve the outages immediately.

"I know this is not just a Gary situation, but Gary has the largest
population that's impacted right now and it's been 11 days, " Melton said. "Just imagine someone with medical conditions, individuals that haven't
been able to talk to family members around the country, reaching out
wondering how they're doing. It's frightening for a lot of folks. "

Northwest Indiana attorney Kenneth Allen highlighted medical issues as his
law firm announced a class-action lawsuit Friday morning against NIPSCO.

Residents of Northwest Indiana can file a claim at nipscoclassaction. com.

According to the lawsuit, it alleges that NIPSCO failed to keep vegetation
a safe distance from distribution and transmission lines that was
consistent with their manuals and practice throughout the industry.

Gov. Mike Braun activated the Indiana National Guard to help, but blasted
the utility company on social media Thursday.

"It's unacceptable that so many Hoosiers are still without power. Our state agencies, including the Indiana National Guard, Indiana Department of Transportation, Department of Correction, Indiana State Police, and the Department of Natural Resources, are all taking unprecedented action to
help NIPSCO turn the lights back on.

I deeply appreciate the linemen and crews who are putting in the legwork
and long hours to address these outages. It's on NIPSCO management to step
up, take this seriously and restore power now. "

WGN News learned Friday afternoon that the Indiana National Guard left Gary
on Monday after a mission to clear debris after the storm.

NIPSCO sent the following statement Friday afternoon defending themselves.

"We strongly disagree with the characterization of NIPSCO's vegetation management practices in the Amended Complaint and the various press conferences held by the law firm of Kenneth Allen Law Group. We will vigorously defend the company through the legal process. NIPSCO's electric operations, including its active vegetation management program, are
overseen by the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission. NIPSCO's vegetation management spend has more than doubled since 2016, demonstrating our commitment and focus on maintaining a safe and reliable electric system.

NIPSCO understands the impact that prolonged outages can have on our
customers and communities, particularly following storms, and in
particular, the severe weather events that caused unprecedented damage
across NIPSCO's electric system that recently transpired.
Safety and reliability are fundamental to how we operate, and we have established processes and procedures to maintain our electric system, including our vegetation management program. Our immediate focus remains on restoring service to affected customers safely and as quickly as possible.
"
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