NIPSCO crews continue restoration efforts after Monday morning’s winter storm which caused significant damage and outages from heavy snowfall and winds in excess of 45 miles per hour. Several hundred cases of downed lines, broken poles and equipment have been reported and identified.
In total, more than 40,000 electric customers were affected. As of 5:00 p.m. CT, approximately 6,800 customers remain without power – primarily located in Lake, Porter, and La Porte counties.
NIPSCO employees continue to work around-the-clock to respond to the damage, with the support of additional resources working in the call center and emergency command center to focus on power restoration efforts.
Additional outside crews and resources have been secured for added support.
Based on current information, NIPSCO estimates a majority of the remaining affected customers will be restored within the estimated restoration times listed below. NIPSCO cannot provide specific restoration times for individual customers at this time.
Monday, Nov. 26 by Midnight
Leroy
Tuesday, Nov. 27 between 5-7 p.m.
Westville
Tuesday, Nov. 27 by Midnight
Schererville, Valparaiso, Wheeler, Cedar Lake, Chesterton, Crown Point, Dyer, Gary, Griffith, Hammond, Hebron, Highland, Hobart, Lake Station, La Porte, Lowell, Merrillville, Michigan City, Munster, Pleasant Lake, St. John
Safety Reminders
Given the extreme temperatures, NIPSCO also reminds customers of the following important safety tips:
• Do not use ovens, gas ranges or grills to heat your home • Never use a generator inside your home, basement, garage or other enclosed or partially enclosed areas • Consider a local warming shelter as a backup plan (options listed below) • Check on neighbors, particularly senior citizens or those who may be disabled • Avoid downed power lines, damaged poles or other hazardous situations. Every downed wire should be treated as though it is a live wire.
NIPSCO understands that any service outage is an inconvenience, especially during extreme weather conditions. NIPSCO crews working on the storm thank customers for their patience and understanding during the restoration efforts.
Identified Warming Centers by Community*
*Please call warming shelters to verify their hours of operation
Crown Point: • Crown Point Fire Station, 126 N. East Street, Crown Point, IN Gary: • City of Gary Public Safety Facility, 555 Polk Street, Gary, IN • Hudson Campbell Athletic Facility, 5th and Connecticut, Gary, IN • Calumet Township Shelter, 41st and Cleveland, Gary, IN Hammond: • Jean Shepherd Community Center, 3031 JF Mahoney Drive, Hammond IN Hobart: • Fire Station House 2, 2301 Old Ridge Road, Hobart IN • Police, Court and Community Center, 704 E. 4th Street, Hobart IN Lowell: • Ceder Creek Township, 151 North Freemont Street, Lowell IN • Three Creeks Elementary School. 670 Burr Street, Lowell IN Merrillville: • Impact Christian Churct, 7071 Broadway Ave, Merrillville, IN Portage: • Woodland Park Social Center, 2100 Willowcreek Road, Portage IN St. John: • Town Public Safety Center, 11033 West 93rd Ave, St John IN Valparaiso: • Valparaiso YMCA. 1202 Cumberland Crossing, Valparaiso IN • Porter County Public Library, Valparaiso Branch. 103 Jefferson St, Valparaiso IN • Vale Park Enrichment Center at Banta, 605 Beech Street, Valparaiso IN
Restoration Process
Following an assessment of the damage, NIPSCO’s restoration process begins with repairing large transmission and distribution lines that supply electricity to large numbers of customers in large geographic areas – including critical customers such as hospitals and emergency response. Repairs to other lines that serve smaller groups of customers can’t be made until the larger lines feeding electricity to those areas are repaired.
When crews work on damaged trees during storms, they focus on repairs that are critical to our facilities and to restoring power and do not clean up or remove branches and debris that may be left behind. Contact your local municipal officials for more information on storm debris disposal.
Staying Informed
Ice, sleet, snow, strong winds and tree damage are the most common causes of power outages during winter months and the most difficult when it comes to restoring service. Inclement weather creates a number of safety concerns for both the general public and our crews and often hinders restoration efforts.
During power outage events, NIPSCO will continue to provide updates regarding the current number of customers affected, where outages are located and when power is expected to be restored, using the following channels:
• NIPSCO.com/Out – Find current information on the status of power outages and estimated restoration times. • m.nipsco.com – View the same outage map and details on NIPSCO.com from your mobile device. • Facebook.com/NIPSCO or Twitter.com/NIPSCO – Follow NIPSCO’s progress through popular social media channels to view photos and power restoration updates. • NIPSCO.com/Alerts – Sign up for power outage alerts to receive outage updates, including estimated restoration times via text, email or phone.
Find more storm safety tips and monitor the status of power restoration at NIPSCO.com/Out.
About NIPSCO: Northern Indiana Public Service Company (NIPSCO), with headquarters in Merrillville, Indiana, has proudly served the energy needs of northern Indiana for more than 100 years. As Indiana’s largest natural gas distribution company and the second-largest electric distribution company, NIPSCO serves approximately 810,000 natural gas and 460,000 electric customers across 32 counties. NIPSCO is part of NiSource’s (NYSE: NI) seven regulated utility companies. NiSource is one of the largest fully regulated utility companies in the United States, serving approximately 4 million natural gas and electric customers through its local Columbia Gas and NIPSCO brands. More information about NIPSCO and NiSource is available at NIPSCO.com and NiSource.com.