Red Cross assisting Merrillville, Indiana impacted by June storms

The American Red Cross was assisting residents in Merrillville, Indiana, on Friday who faced destruction from severe weather this past month. 

Red Cross volunteers handed out supplies such as gloves, rakes, arps, and more to homeowners who are still picking up the pieces after the June 11 tornado and the severe weather that followed. 

In addition to Red Cross volunteers, nearly 100 Andrew High Schoolers boarded a bus to join residents in cleaning up some of Merrillville's hardest hit neighborhoods.

The teens will be assisting in removing tree limbs and branches from the road, driveways, and yards. They'll also separate debris into piles, including scrap metal, garbage and broken appliances.

"It's definitely what god would want us to do. I bet everyone else who we're cleaning the neighborhoods for are very happy and will appreciate all of us out here today," Maddie Kozlowski, an Andrean High School volunteer, said. 

Crisis responders said this week's severe weather slowed clean-up efforts and the heavy rainfall made damage even worse.

About 200 Merrillville residents are without power on Friday. Nearly 2,300 NipSCO customers in nearby Griffith are also waiting for electricity to come back on.