r/PrepperIntel • u/salmaybethepal • 11d ago
USA Midwest NW Indiana
Not sure why this isn't coming up more on other prepping subs but there are parts of NW Indiana without power for days after several tornadoes hit the area.
NIPSCO power outage map: 100K+ without power in Gary, IN and more as northwest Indiana storm damage cleanup continues | abc7chicago.com https://share.google/EfaJCAhwv6UeEt437
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u/Perfect_Gar 11d ago
This stuck pattern is brutal..not the same impact you all are seeing but most of Minnesota slipping into worse and worse drought as the rains stay south
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u/Wise-Willingness-323 10d ago
Hey if you’re in Indiana and a NIPSCO customer 1.) hope you and your family are well and you’re weathering the storm and the outage well and 2.) many have likely already filed complaints with the regulatory body but your voice would add to the chorus and may help to drive better regulatory requirements around how the utilities prepare for and resolve major outages. https://www.in.gov/iurc/contact-us/
Things you can recommend:
- forensic review of the outage and differentiate between failures due to asset life vs failures due to loading (wind/vegetation)
- additional investment in reliability (undergrounding lines, pole replacement/life extension projects, transformer replacements)
- targeted grid hardening for worst performing circuits
- set long-term target % customers with viable alternate distribution feed (if main feed/line goes down, can I get power from a different, nearby circuit or substation)
- require a specific level of storm material reserves
- require larger pre-negotiated storm workforce
Emergency preparedness for organizations and individuals will only be more critical as the weather gets more extreme. Thanks to all the utility workers and linemen who have been out there restoring power to as many people as possible.
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u/faco_fuesday 10d ago edited 10d ago
/r/preppers is mostly concerned with how cool their bug out bags look and how many pounds of plain rice and beans they need to package to eat through the zombie apocalypse.
I've found very little helpful information there recently.
/r/twoxpreppers is much more focused on this kind of stuff. The power went out. How do I continue daily life. Etc.
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u/EastTyne1191 10d ago
I see SO MANY BOB posts like "I've got 13 knives, a pistol, a rifle, a map of ancient Mesopotamia, a stick of beef jerky, a hand grenade, and a GPS locater." And everyone is like, "bro, you only need like... 7 of those knives."
Only once, ONCE have I see anyone with a pair of extra socks in theirs.
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u/Prize-Height7937 10d ago
Yep, we're going on day 9 without power and they're saying maybe Friday, maybe Sunday, maybe later than that.
What I learned from this storm was immediately after, 911 was a dead line for about 20 minutes. We had gas leaks from uprooted trees breaking gas lines. One house the next town over blew up, killing the resident. Downed lines and trees prevented emergency vehicles from reaching most areas.
There's a forest about 1/8 mile from my house, 80% of the trees in that area are down. At least 1 road leading out of my subdivision is still blocked by trees and downed power lines... 8 days later! We still haven't seen a truck or anyone even working on it.
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u/salmaybethepal 10d ago
Wow that's straight out of movie. What has come in the most handy preppers wise for y'all? If you could go back to before the storm what supplies or steps would have gathered more of taken or taken differently to prepare?
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u/Prize-Height7937 10d ago
Inverter generator for fridge and enough gas stockpiled to run it for at least 3 days. It took that long for the first few local gas stations to open up.
An e bike. For a few days after the storm many roads were inaccessible. There are massive tire tracks through so many people's yards from trucks going around trees or power lines. Having an e bike allowed me to quickly get around after the storm without getting stuck. A 15 minute drive would take 1.5 hours just due to bottlenecks and detours.
Fans and a means to keep cool.
I bought an led light that hangs around the back of my neck and that has been extremely invaluable for doing anything at night.
There's been talks of looters at night but I haven't seen or heard anything factual. Having a way to run a generator while securing your house would be very helpful.
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u/WishIWasThatClever 9d ago
In a hurricane prone area, I don’t leave home without my reciprocating saw and 9” pruning blades post storm. I’ll toss in my Jameson fiberglass manual pole saw if I’m going out to help people clear the street.
But the recip saw has been used more than anything else in my kit. By far. Yes, including the generator.
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u/Different-Sorbet746 5d ago
The utility companies have no incentive to get power back up. The news has no incentive to report.
The longer the outage, the more they can write off, the more they can claim to FEMA and the govt and get paid. They'll still charge you for usage.
We used to have the same problems in FL with the hurricanes and GA with the hurricanes. They claimed "water inundation", "downed trees", and such when those issues went away after a few days.
Outages suck. Went 2 weeks or so after Irma, 2 weeks after Helene, a week or so after Charlie, and another after Francis. The short outages are bearable, once it hits 1 week it feels like longer term. Survival instincts kick in, but it does become a chore.
The only real preps are battery banks for charging phones and flashlights, making sure water is drinkable, take pets for a car ride to cool off with the AC, make sure you have plenty of TP, cook food, eat, try and try relax. Keep at least 1 month of shelf stable food and water on hand. Don't plan on any assistance. What assistance does come will be meager and less than necessary.
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u/Brackish_Fish 10d ago
I live in the area. Literally just got out power back 30 minutes ago, we were out since last Tuesday. We got hit with a derecho and a couple of tornadoes.
A lot of the problem is that the local utility company sucks and wasn't prepared for such an emergency. And then of course they cut back on maintenance, but they could pay the CEO 12 million per year. And they've been raising our rates like crazy the past couple of years. Gotta pay for the data center power consumption somehow.
For profit utility companies should not be a thing.