Residents of Gary, Indiana compare the town to Gotham City as the power outage that was started by a storm on Aug. 11 extends into the end of its second week.

The storm on Aug. 11 killed seven people across Northern Indiana and brought winds up to 100 mph. Fallen trees and power lines caused widespread power outages and road damage across the area, with over 400,000 residents losing power. A week later, 40,000 were still without power, unable to drive on pitch-black roads or access safe food and water. Some communities also had to deal with water main breaks related to the storm, with residents reporting backed up sewers and washing their clothes in their kitchen sinks.

On Aug. 20, a fire on an electrical pole knocked out power for 9,000 homes, many of whom had just had their power restored. Lake Central Schools, who had reopened the prior day, were forced to close again on Friday.

“Kids were upbeat, the weather was great, it was the perfect day to return to school, then three-quarters through the day this happened,” David Hein, town manager in Dyer, said. “Frustration is at its absolute boiling point.” 

Over 76% of Gary’s population is Black. Many believe that the lack of assistance from the federal government could be racially motivated. To help those affected by the power outages, Indiana Governor Mike Braun announced affected families will receive a grant of $5,000. Celebrities like former NBA athlete Glenn Robinson and influencer Keith Lee have also used their platforms to bring aid to Gary residents.

“A lot of people are out of power here,” Bill Mix, owner of Remix Catering and Events said. In the past two weeks, the group has given out over 2,000 hot meals. “A lot of damage has been done. Trees are everywhere. I mean, even myself, we’ve been out of power the past five days, so we’ve been going to the stores every day, clearing out the stores, doing what we can do.”

Resident’s concerns have turned toward the safety of themselves and their families during the power outage. Before the storm, Gary already had a reputation for high crime rates. The recent power outages seem to have made some residents braver. While working to restore power one night, a vehicle was shot at and its rear window partially shattered. Other residents have reported their cars getting broken into during the night.

This isn’t the first natural disaster to hit Gary in the past couple months. In June, an EF-1 tornado hit the town, damaging buildings and infrastructure. Some of those buildings collapsed during the recent storm, leaving residents homeless.

Since the storm, cooling centers have opened around Gary. AT&T partnered with the Red Cross to provide charging stations at the local YMCA. Verizon has also set up free WiFi at the YMCA and Lowes partnered with the city to provide cleaning supplies, chainsaws, flashlights and batteries according to WGN9.

“This is Gary, Indiana–the hometown of Michael Jackson–but many of us have felt invisible,” Raven Summers, a Gary resident said. “We need people outside of Gary to know what is happening here.” 

At this time, the Northern Indiana Public Service Company (NIPSCO) estimates power will be restored to Gary and a neighboring town by Aug. 25 at 11:59pm, three weeks after the storm.