Heavy rain, lightning, damaging winds and multiple tornadoes across portions of northwest Indiana
Today’s clear blue skies and powder puff clouds reveal the damages from Thursday night’s storm system that brought heavy rain, lightning, damaging winds and multiple tornadoes across portions of northwest Indiana.
NIPSCO reported it was aware of approximately 61,900 customers without power at the time of its press release this morning (11 a.m. CT), with 18% of the approximately 86,640 total impacted customers restored thus far.
“While damage assessment and restoration efforts are underway, some customers in the hardest-hit areas should be prepared for the possibility of multi-day outages due to the extent of damage,” the NIPSCO release said.
Lake County Sheriff Oscar Martinez Jr. reported his department’s police officers responded to at least a dozen calls for service related to Thursday severe weather.
Officers voluntarily assisted the Merrillville Police Department with door-to-door checks looking for residents in need of assistance.
Photos of the Merrillville area taken by the Lake County Sheriff’s Department Aviation Unit helicopter show widespread property damages.
In the area of 63rd Avenue west of Taft in Merrillville, there were reports of houses with roofs that collapsed. As many as 5 homes in the general area reported possible gas leaks.
An officer used a K-9 unit to search for anyone who may have been inside Andrean High School in Merrillville, which was heavily damaged. No one was found inside the building.
“The intensity of last night’s storms threatened our community, and I am incredibly grateful for the dedication and professionalism displayed by our officers,” Sheriff Martinez said. “I would also like to thank our partner law enforcement agencies, first responders and residents for their cooperation. Thankfully, we had no reports of serious injuries.”
The high winds halted service on the South Shore Commuter Rail Line from 9pm Thursday night to 7:45am Friday morning. Trains were unable to continue eastward beyond East Chicago due to damage on the tracks, wire and poles.
Gary Public Transit has suspended service on the Broadway Metro Express due to the extensive damage in the Merrillville portion of the route. David Wright, GPTC Planning Manager said service will return when road clearance is attained.
