On August 11, 2026, severe storms and tornadoes tore across Indiana, followed by historic flooding. Northwest Indiana took a brutal hit. Winds topping 100 mph knocked out power to roughly 301,000 of NIPSCO's 500,000 customers, the largest outage in the utility's history. Gary Mayor Eddie Melton declared a local disaster emergency on August 12. The city has since assessed 2,097 damage sites, more than 80 percent of them involving fallen trees and blocked roads.
Statewide, at least seven people have died and roughly 1,000 residents have been displaced. A week later, families in Gary, Lake Station, and Hobart were still without power.
Our community is in it right now. This is the resource list we wish someone had handed out on day one: where to get help, what to do first, and how to support the people who need it.
Do This First: Report Your Damage. Do Not Apply to FEMA Yet.
This is the single most important thing on this page.
State officials are asking Hoosiers not to apply for FEMA assistance right now. Indiana has a federal emergency declaration (EM-3651, approved August 16 and covering 53 counties), but that is a different thing from a major disaster declaration. The emergency declaration is capped at $5 million and pays for state and local emergency response, not individual payouts. FEMA Individual Assistance has not been approved.
Governor Braun's office has warned that applying prematurely may delay your help if and when the major disaster declaration comes through. The state requested that declaration the week of August 17, with a decision expected within roughly 7 to 10 days.
What to do instead, right now: report your damage.
- Call 2-1-1 or 1-866-211-9966
- Online: Indiana 211 Disaster Damage Reporting Tool
IDHS has specifically asked residents of 21 counties to report, including Lake, Porter, LaPorte, and Newton in Northwest Indiana.
Reporting damage is not the same as applying for aid. It is how the state builds the case that gets federal money released to your county. Every unreported home and storefront makes that case weaker.
Document everything before you clean up. Photos and video of every room, every damaged item, serial numbers on appliances, and receipts for every emergency expense: hotels, meals, tarps, generators, fuel. You will need all of it.
If you are in Gary, you can also reach the city through the 3-1-1 Citizen Responder system or Gary City Hall at 401 Broadway, (219) 881-1300, Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Watch fema.gov/disaster/3651 for status changes. FEMA's general line is 1-800-621-3362.
Money: The State Grant You May Not Know About
Indiana State Disaster Relief Fund, up to $5,000 per household
The state has activated its disaster relief fund for households hit by the August 11 disaster (Executive Order 26-21). It covers uninsured losses at a primary residence.
What it covers: food, clothing, home repairs, utilities, temporary housing, and transportation. IDHS also lists essential furnishings, appliances, tools, debris removal, and medical devices.
Who qualifies: residents of a jurisdiction that declared a local disaster emergency. Gary qualifies.
How to apply, two ways:
- Call 211. The state increased 211 staffing to handle the volume. This is the most reliable route.
- Apply online through the state's application form, linked from the IDHS August 2026 Disaster hub. If the form will not load for you, call 211 instead.
Have ready: a description of your damages, the dollar amount you need, and details of any home, rental, or flood insurance you carry.
Questions about individual assistance can go to IDHS at 317-232-2222 or ia@dhs.in.gov.
Temporary Housing
The Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority is funding two kinds of help for displaced residents:
- Emergency hotel vouchers, paid directly to hotels and motels for up to 30 days
- Disaster rental assistance, paid directly to landlords for application fees, security deposits, and short term rent
Start by calling 211, or call the Red Cross at 1-800-733-2767 for a referral.
Longer term housing help:
- Indiana Housing Now: indianahousingnow.org or 1-877-428-8844
- HUD housing counselors: answers.hud.gov/housingcounseling
Replacing Lost Food (SNAP)
If you receive SNAP and lost groceries to floodwater or the outage, those benefits can be replaced. The window is short.
You have 10 days from the loss. Submit State Form 40988, the SNAP replacement affidavit, by uploading it to the FSSA Benefits Portal, faxing 888-436-9199, bringing it to any Division of Family Resources office, or mailing it to the FSSA Document Center, P.O. Box 1810, Marion, IN 46952.
What counts: refrigerated and frozen food lost when power was out four hours or longer, plus any food that floodwater touched. Replacement benefits go back onto your EBT card and cannot exceed your monthly benefit amount.
Insurance
Most homeowner policies do not cover flood damage. That requires separate flood insurance. Comprehensive auto insurance usually does cover a flooded vehicle. Call your insurer and open a claim either way, and make them put any denial in writing. The state expects you to file with insurance before it considers a disaster relief grant.
If an insurer is stalling or denying you unfairly, or if a contractor is gouging you, file with the Indiana Attorney General's Consumer Protection Division.
Immediate Needs: Shelter, Food, Power
Shelters
- American Red Cross: 1-800-733-2767, or use the open shelter finder
- 211 can direct you to the nearest open shelter
Food and Supplies in Lake County
The Salvation Army is running distributions across Northwest Indiana:
- Gary-Merrillville Corps, 4800 Harrison Street, Gary. Food box distributions. Current hours: facebook.com/TSAGaryMerrillville
- East Chicago Corps, 513 W. Chicago Avenue, East Chicago. Meals and food boxes. Current hours: facebook.com/SalvationArmyEastChicago
Local mutual aid has filled a lot of gaps. The Gary fire department has been operating as a community hub, and Hobart Township and mobile food pantries have been distributing food and water. Sites and hours shift daily, so call 211 first.
Food pantries:
- Food Bank of Northwest Indiana serves Lake and Porter counties, including Gary. Use the pantry locator to find the closest site.
- Elsewhere in the state, find your regional food bank through Feeding Indiana's Hungry.
- 211 can also route you to immediate food help.
Power, Phone, and Roads
- NIPSCO: live outage map at nipsco.com/outages/power-outages. Report an outage by texting OUT to 444111 or calling 1-800-464-7726. NIPSCO has also been posting cooling center locations.
- AT&T is waiving overage charges and providing unlimited talk, text, and data for eligible customers in affected areas through September 11. Device charging lockers are available at Red Cross shelters, including the YWCA in Gary.
- Verizon has provided Wi-Fi and charging stations at the YWCA in Gary.
- Road closures: 511in.org
For Business Owners
If your shop, salon, restaurant, or office took damage, your recovery path looks a little different.
1. Report your damage to 211 too. Business losses count toward the assessment that unlocks federal aid for the whole county.
2. Document like your claim depends on it, because it does. Photograph inventory, equipment, and the building. Pull your point of sale records for the days you were closed so you can prove lost revenue later.
3. SBA disaster loans are the likely federal path, and they are not open yet for this event. IDHS currently lists its business assistance section as still in progress. When a major disaster declaration lands, the SBA typically follows with low interest physical damage loans and Economic Injury Disaster Loans for small businesses and private nonprofits. Watch sba.gov/funding-programs/disaster-assistance, or call the SBA Indiana District Office at 317-226-7272. Being ready to file the day it opens is worth real money.
4. Free help preparing your filing. The Indiana Small Business Development Center provides no cost business advising statewide, including a Northwest Indiana region. isbdc.org
5. Talk to your landlord and your lenders now, not later. Rent abatement, loan deferrals, and utility payment plans are far easier to negotiate in week one than in month three.
Mental Health and Emotional Support
Losing a home, a business, or a sense of safety is a real injury, and it does not heal on the same schedule as the debris removal.
- 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: call or text 988, 24/7. More at 988indiana.org
- Indiana REST Teams, trained volunteers providing short term emotional support to survivors and responders. Request one by emailing IndianaDBH@fssa.in.gov. More at in.gov/fssa/dmha/disaster-behavioral-health
- 211 can connect you to local counseling
Staying Safe During Cleanup
- Turn off gas and electricity before reentering a flooded building, and have an electrician inspect before you restore power.
- Check for structural damage, including sagging ceilings, walls, and roofs, before going inside.
- Floodwater is contaminated. Throw out any food it touched, along with soaked cushioned furniture, pillows, and mattresses. Mold sets in fast.
- Watch for displaced animals.
- Private well owners: have your water tested before drinking it. See the Indiana Department of Health disaster information page.
- Beware of contractor scams. After every disaster, storm chasers show up demanding cash up front. Verify licensing, never pay in full before the work is done, and get everything in writing.
How to Help
If you came through this okay and want to put money or hands where they will matter:
Northwest Indiana and Lake County
- Lake County Disaster Relief Fund at the Legacy Foundation, Lake County's community foundation. It launched with a $100,000 lead gift from the Dean and Barbara White Family Foundation. Donate here.
- The Salvation Army Indiana Emergency Disaster Services: donate.salvationarmyindiana.org
Statewide
- American Red Cross: redcross.org/donate. To direct your gift, note "Indiana Region, Flood Recovery Aid."
- The Central Indiana Community Foundation keeps a running list of county relief funds if you want your dollars to land somewhere specific.
And the part that costs nothing: check on the elderly neighbor, the single parent two doors down, the barber whose shop still has no power. Share this page. Most people in Gary right now do not know the state has a $5,000 grant with their name on it.
For Black-Owned Businesses in the Region
If you are a Black-owned business in Northwest Indiana affected by this storm, we want to hear from you. Tell us what you lost and what you need. We will point you toward the right resource and, where we can, put your recovery in front of our audience.
Reach us at indyblackbusinesses.com/contact or on Instagram at @indyblackbusinesses.
And if your business is standing and open, get listed. Recovery in our communities runs through our businesses. People need to be able to find you.
We will keep this page updated as the major disaster declaration status changes and as new assistance opens. Gary, we see you.