Gov. Mike Braun deploys National Guard to clear way for power crews with outage dragging on in Northwest Indiana

Indiana Gov. Mike Braun announced Sunday that he has deployed the Indiana National Guard to clear the way for NIPSCO crews, with power outages dragging on in Northwest Indiana.

Braun expressed exasperation at NIPSCO in a post on X.

"NIPSCO has ample resources to get the job done in Northwest Indiana, but they continue to fail Hoosiers. NIPSCO is a monopoly with a responsibility to ratepayers," he wrote. "Residents are forced to rely on them for their safety and comfort and they must get the power back on NOW."

Braun wrote that he had mobilized the Indiana National Guard and had sent teams from the Indiana State Police, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, and the Indiana Department of Correction "to literally clear the way for NIPSCO utility crews."

"There is no excuse for these delays," he wrote.

Powerful storms knocked out power across the Northwest Indiana region back on Tuesday, Aug. 11. A dozen days later, tens of thousands of customers were still without power.

Much of Gary has been without power since storms hit on Aug. 11 and NIPSCO estimates full power restoration for the city won't happen until Tuesday at the earliest — making for a full two weeks without power for much of Gary if not more.

A class-action lawsuit has been filed against NIPSCO, accusing the company of failing to properly manage trees and vegetation around power lines before the storms.