The NIPSCO power outage Indiana crisis has stretched into its second week, and the state’s governor has run out of patience with the utility’s pace of recovery.

Mike Braun took to social media Sunday to criticize the company directly, arguing that NIPSCO possesses the resources needed to finish the job but has repeatedly fallen short. With more than 20,000 residents still in the dark across northwest Indiana, his message carried an unmistakable edge of frustration.

The Governor’s Message

Braun didn’t soften his language. He described NIPSCO as a monopoly holding a direct responsibility to its ratepayers, arguing that residents have no alternative but to depend on the company for basic safety and comfort. His demand was blunt: restore power now.

The statement reflects growing political pressure on the utility as the outage stretches well beyond what many residents expected following the initial storm damage.

NIPSCO’s Response

The utility maintains that crews are working around the clock, describing the storm damage as the most severe recovery effort in the company’s history.

In a statement, NIPSCO said its teams remain focused on restoration across the region and will continue working until every home and small business within its service territory has power back.

The Scale of the Damage

The scope of the outage helps explain, if not excuse, the extended timeline. According to NIPSCO’s Sunday updates, more than 350,000 customers have already had service restored following a series of severe thunderstorms that battered the region.

The most destructive of those storms was an August 11 derecho, a fast-moving line of damaging thunderstorms, which the company estimates knocked out power to more than 60% of its customer base at the peak of the outage. Wind gusts during that event reached up to 110 miles per hour in some areas.

Where Things Stand Now

As of 11 a.m. Sunday, more than 21,000 customers remained without electricity. Restoration timelines vary significantly by location.

Munster residents may not see power return until at least Monday night. In Gary and Portage, two of the hardest-hit communities, NIPSCO’s current estimate suggests a majority of customers won’t have service back until 11:59 p.m. Tuesday, nearly two full weeks after the derecho struck.

Gary’s situation illustrates both the scale of the damage and the pace of progress. The city had roughly 38,000 customers without power immediately after the storms. That number has fallen to approximately 10,000 as of Sunday, meaning significant recovery has occurred, even as thousands continue waiting.

A Mayor Speaks Out

Gary Mayor Eddie Melton voiced the frustration many residents in his city are feeling.

He described the sense of being overlooked when comparing his community’s situation to updates across the broader northwest Indiana region, suggesting that residents there feel forgotten amid the slow pace of restoration.

State Resources Deployed

Braun has moved beyond public criticism into direct state action. He confirmed that he has activated the Indiana National Guard and dispatched teams from the Indiana State Police, the Department of Natural Resources and the Department of Correction to assist NIPSCO crews, primarily by clearing debris and access routes so utility workers can reach damaged infrastructure more efficiently.

His message on the delays was unambiguous: he does not consider the extended timeline acceptable given the resources available.

Safety Guidance for Residents

Even as frustration mounts, NIPSCO has issued safety reminders for the public. The company is asking customers to keep their distance from field crews working on repairs and to treat any downed power lines as potentially live and dangerous, regardless of how long they may have been on the ground.

Downed lines can remain energized even when a broader outage suggests otherwise, since power grids are complex systems where certain segments may still carry current depending on how repairs are progressing in real time.

What Comes Next

For the roughly 21,000 households still without power, the coming days will bring a mix of continued waiting and, for some, restoration finally arriving. Munster’s Monday night target and the Tuesday night estimate for Gary and Portage represent the next major milestones in the recovery timeline.

Whether those targets hold will likely shape how the political dispute between the governor’s office and NIPSCO develops in the days ahead. With state resources now actively supporting the effort, pressure on the utility to demonstrate visible progress has only intensified.

For residents who have spent nearly two weeks without basic electrical service, the practical concerns, spoiled food, disrupted routines, mounting hotel bills, and the safety risks of extended heat exposure, remain the most immediate reality, regardless of how the political dispute over accountability ultimately resolves.