President Trump approves emergency declaration for Indiana after severe storms

The Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, has announced that federal disaster assistance is now available for the state of Indiana following Tuesday's severe storms.

The recent storms are being blamed for at least five deaths in the state.

President Donald Trump approved the Emergency Disaster Declaration on Saturday. FEMA says it will "supplement state, tribal and local response efforts due to the emergency conditions resulting from severe storms, straight-line winds, tornadoes and flooding beginning on August 11, 2026, and continuing."

This comes after Indiana Gov. Mike Braun declared a statewide emergency after storms caused widespread wind damage in northwest Indiana and significant flooding in central parts of the state.

Braun said that while there was lots of wind damage in Northwest Indiana on Tuesday, with winds of up to 99 mph in Gary, some parts of central Indiana got as much as 10 inches of rain. He added that nearly a third of the counties reported damage from straight-line winds.

Many are still dealing with power outages due to the storms.

On Saturday, NIPSCO continued power restoration in Gary after pausing efforts when a worker's vehicle was hit by gunfire. No one was injured, but Mayor Eddie Melton said the city is coordinating with Gary police, Illinois State Police, and state officials to make sure crews are safe.

As crews continue work, Melton asks for the community to rally behind the NIPSCO crews and to allow the workers to help get the city's power fully restored.

NIPSCO said power should be restored to 90% of those impacted by the storms by Tuesday and 100% of customers should have power restored by next Friday.