Damage and restoration efforts from August 11 storm
The August 11, 2026, derecho that hit Northwest Indiana, and the storms that followed, caused unprecedented damage to the region and to NIPSCO’s system.
We recognize the significant hardship that the prolonged outages caused for affected communities, and we have heard the questions and concerns from our customers. NIPSCO is focused on examining our response and applying lessons learned for future severe storms – to build a stronger electric system and stronger communities.
Our commitment: We will do better.
This storm will inform NIPSCO’s approach moving forward. We have hired an independent third-party expert to conduct a thorough review of our storm response, and we will release the results publicly.
This storm will also help all
of us think about how Indiana prepares for severe weather, which is becoming much more common. An event of this scale is not something a utility responds to alone. It requires coordination among the utility, state government, local leaders, emergency-management
agencies, first responders, and communities. We are committed to being a good partner and to engaging in this important conversation.
Customer Assistance and Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
8-11 Storm | 3. Did NIPSCO adequately prepare for the August 11 storms?
Yes. NIPSCO was prepared for what we understood was coming, and when the storm materially changed, we adjusted.
Beginning on Friday, August 7th, NIPSCO’s operations team met daily to track the weather and prepare for the storm. As we tracked the forecasts, NIPSCO initiated our storm preparedness protocols consistent with those forecasts.
On the morning of August 11th, we activated our Incident Command System, which is our emergency-response structure based on FEMA’s model. We had our internal line crews and existing contractors in place before the storm.
After the storm hit, and the extent of the unprecedented damage became clear, we rapidly scaled the response, bringing in roughly 1,000 additional resources on the ground by 7am the next morning. Within the first 24 hours of the event, more than 1,800 personnel and contractor partners were mobilized. This represented about six times our normal daily field presence.
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