CanaryMedia: "Gary power outage underscores stakes of Solar for All Cancellations," by Kari Lydersen.
Last month violent storms + tornadoes struck NW Indiana, + thousands went without power for as long as 2 full weeks following the storms. "​Many of the homes were underinsured or uninsured, many people in the community had underlying health issues."
The preparation should have been "solar panels + batteries spread throughout Gary, which could have allowed people to charge their phones + computers, chill their food + medicine, operate their medical devices, + simply turn on the lights while they dealt with all the other damage + turmoil."
Last year the city could have received federal funding to 'outfit Gary with hundreds of rooftop solar arrays, battery storage, community solar, + microgrids, plus at least one resiliency hub at a downtown community center, where people could come for power and support. "[That] effort was put on hold when Trump canceled the federal Solar for All program in 2025. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin called the larger program it was a part of a ​“boondoggle.”
Indiana had been awarded $117 M for solar, battery, + microgrid installations for marginalized communities under the program, created by the IRA. "Tens of millions of those dollars had been earmarked to pay for the Gary projects, which would have also brought 100 jobs to the once-thriving industrial city now notorious for disinvestment."
Adding to the difficulty is rate increases by NIPSCO, the utility that serves northwest Indiana. "Gary residents bear a steep energy burden, + electric rates for a typical household rose by around $83 a month between 2023 and 2025."
Indiana has now already seen 84 tornadoes in 2026, breaking the annual record of 72 set in 2014, not to mention the derechos, floods, + other storms battering the state in recent months.
There may well be a climate signature here, as increased storminess is part of the story, but that would require an evaluation by a group such as World Weather Attribution [WWA].
Especially important now as we need to batten down the hatches for the Super El Niño coming to a theater near you.
