World Central Kitchen provides free meals to NW Indiana residents amid power outages, storm recovery

LAKE COUNTY, Ind. (WLS) -- World Central Kitchen offered free meals to northwest Indiana residents Sunday in Gary amid NIPSCO power outages and storm recovery efforts. The non-profit group offers fresh food to people affected by natural disasters and war.

Thousands of Indiana residents have been without power since Aug. 11 after several rounds of strong storms rolled through the Chicago area.

As of Sunday afternoon, NIPSCO reported more than 16,000 customers were still without power in northwest Indiana. Their latest estimate was to have everyone back up and running Tuesday. The hardest hit areas in Gary and Portage, Indiana are still without electricity.

On Saturday, new help for the region was announced by ComEd and the Chicago Bears.

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A community relief effort continued to grow Sunday in unincorporated Lake Ridge, near Gary, where residents affected by ongoing power outages gathered for food, water and other essential supplies.

Just before 2 p.m., a truckload of food and water arrived at the all-volunteer Lake Ridge Fire Department. Firefighters and volunteers have spent the past several days increasing support services for residents, distributing supplies and helping meet basic needs.

"Our community has no water. No toilets. No sewers. They can't brush their teeth. They have no power so we're just getting whatever resources we can get to help them," said Tim Kuiper of the Lake Ridge Fire Protection District.

What began as water giveaways has expanded into a broader relief operation that now includes mobile showers. Organizers said food remains one of the most pressing needs for residents still dealing with the effects of the outages.

"I go to food banks for food. I had to throw my food in the garbage so I'm trying to survive now," said Sharon Dickerson, who remains without power.

Amanda Finlay, another resident still without electricity, described the financial strain caused by the situation.

"I make maybe $15 an hour. I'm barely surviving. And everything that's going on it's not making it any better," Finlay said.

Among the organizations providing assistance are Lilly and World Central Kitchen. The nonprofit, founded by chef José Andrés, distributed about 4,000 meals Sunday in both Lake Ridge and in Gary.

Chef Jack Velásquez, a local volunteer working with World Central Kitchen, said organizers have been evaluating needs across multiple locations.

"There's 11 different sites that we went to yesterday just to see. There were some centers set up to see where they great need was and this is one of them here today," Velásquez said.

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Indiana Governor Mike Braun is asking the federal government to issue a major disaster declaration to help with relief efforts across the state. The request estimates property damage costs have topped $5 billion.

In an effort to accelerate restoration work, ComEd dispatched more than 60 employees to northwest Indiana on Saturday to assist NIPSCO crews. The workers are expected to remain in the area for several days.

Also on Saturday, the Bears announced $200,000 in donations to storm relief efforts in southeast Cook County and northwest Indiana. The NFL team said $100,000 is going to Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago and $100,000 is going to Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Gary.

Meanwhile, a class-action lawsuit against Northern Indiana Public Service Company has been filed. The lawsuit claims NIPSCO inadequately performed vegetation management in and around power lines and that fallen trees led to power outages that impacted people's lives.

The lawsuit filed on behalf of Indiana residents alleges the widespread outages could have been prevented. Attorneys representing plaintiffs claim NIPSCO failed to properly manage vegetation and did not conduct adequate inspections of utility poles and power lines.

NIPSCO denied the allegations, saying it maintains an active vegetation management program and plans to vigorously defend itself through the legal process.

The utility also addressed concerns from customers who remain without power while continuing to receive utility bills.

"With respect to customer's bills, we've suspended any kind of disconnection through the next week," said NIPSCO President Melody Birmingham. "We'll continue to work with our customers and put programs in place for any customers who have a difficult time paying that bill."

NIPSCO issued the following statement Friday:
"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."