NIPSCO update – storm restoration & digital solutions

       7-17-24      Wednesday News     12:30 A.M.   E-8

Monday night, northern Indiana was affected by severe storms that brought extremely high winds, heavy rain, lightning strikes and tornadic activity, leading to significant damage across NIPSCO’s service area. NIPSCO tracks developing weather patterns and was prepared to respond to stormy weather.

All available crews, contractor resources and additional mutual aid crews – more than 250 crews in total – are working to assess damage, make the necessary repairs and restore power as quickly and safely as possible. Approximately 60 tree trimming contractor crews have also been engaged by NIPSCO to help with the restoration efforts.

At peak, more than 103,000 NIPSCO customers were without power. Tuesday evening that number was down to approximately 48,300, more than half restored in less than 24 hours following the storm. Crews continue to work around the clock to restore service to every customer who remains impacted. The northwest portion of the NIPSCO service area has been most affected, specifically Lake County and the cities of Valparaiso, La Porte, Plymouth and Goshen.

NIPSCO also understands that customers rely on their digital solutions like the power out web page and mobile app to report outages and obtain important information. Due to this storm, their site and app have experienced a significant increase in customer traffic which is causing delays for those trying to access these channels. The NIPSCO IT teams are working diligently to resolve these issues.

You are still able to report your outage by texting “Out” to 444111 using a phone number associated with your NIPSCO account.

Due to the extent of damage, an estimation of when power will be restored to most customers is not yet available. If you are one of the NIPSCO customers still impacted, it’s important for you to know that this will be a multi-day event for some customers, and they will provide updated information on restoration times as the response progresses.

If you see a utility truck driving by your house or neighborhood, please note that the assessment process requires NIPSCO crews to move around to find the source of the outage. An outage affecting one home may call for a repair needed down the street or in another part of the neighborhood. Rest assured, even if you don’t see NIPSCO trucks, their crews are focused on finding and fixing every outage as quickly and safely as possible.

It can be frustrating to see power restored in other parts of a town or city or even across the street from home. You may be on a different circuit than your neighbor.  NIPSCO understands an extended outage brings challenges, and they appreciate their customers’ patience as NIPSCO crews work to address the more than 3,600 individual repairs needed to complete this outage restoration.