Nearly 3,000 NIPSCO customers without power with deadline just hours away

Thousands were still without power early Tuesday, the day NIPSCO expects to finish most of its power restoration work in Gary, Indiana.

This comes two weeks after a powerful derecho tore through Northwest Indiana, leaving hundreds and thousands without power.

Nipsco's deadline for power restoration in Gary is 11:59 p.m. Tuesday. The company warned that this does not necessarily mean every single home and business will have power by the deadliine.

Gary Mayor Eddie Melton said Tuesday morning that he would not consider the job finished until every customer's power was back on.

Some individual outages could take longer because of localized damage or repairs needed on private property.

As of Tuesday morning, over 3,000 customers are still without power. The number of outages was down nearly 2,000 since Monday night. 

Crews spent Monday working around Gary, repairing damaged lines, clearing trees, and other debris.

Gary, Indiana, Mayor Eddie Melton told CBS News Chicago that he joined U.S. Sen. Jim Banks (R-Indiana) in speaking with President Trump to request assistance. 

"We are hoping that President Trump will move the federal assistance through to help the city of Gary, Northwest Indiana, and all of the state of Indiana because we know Central Indiana has also been impacted by severe flooding," Melton said. 

Indiana Gov. Mike Braun is calling for an investigation into NIPSCO. He wants to know if the company properly cleared trees before the storm and used money to improve infrastructure as promised.

Mayor Melton said the needs in Gary will continue even after the lights come back on. He also asked Gov. Braun to increase Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits and ensure there is enough funding to help people repair their homes.  

Earlier this month, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, announced that federal disaster assistance is now available for the state of Indiana following severe storms. 

Individual assistance is now available through the Indiana Department of Homeland Security as part of the State Disaster Relief Fund. Folks impacted by this month's storms may qualify for emergency grants of up to $5,000.

Meanwhile, storm debris pickup begins Tuesday in Gary, and residents are being asked to separate vegetation from construction debris at the curb.