Increase in traffic in La Porte County for food, gas following record-breaking power outages in northwestern Indiana
LA PORTE COUNTY, Ind. -- La Porte County is in the midst of cleanup after severe damage from Monday’s severe storms.
Trees snapped in half, big branches falling on top of cars, and power outages are just some of the reported damage.
NIPSCO says the storm was record breaking, causing over 300,000 power outages, 60 percent of their total customers.
Local businesses have been packed with people waiting to get gas or getting something to eat because they can't cook at home.
Even though there is a Traffic Advisory issued in La Porte County, traffic has picked up in Michigan City.
Traffic around Franklin Street and U.S. 20 in Michigan City has been especially hectic. People from western counties, like Porter and Lake, are coming to La Porte County to find gas and food from any place with running power.
In La Porte County, over 30,000 homes are still without power in total darkness.
"We know that estimated time of restoration and when power is coming back for folks is the biggest question, it's our priority to get that information out and we want to get that information out when we are sure in our facts so with the impact of yesterday's storm, with over three hundred thousand customers out, we are still working on that estimated time of restoration." says NIPSCO Communications Manager, Jessica Cantarelli.
NIPSCO and Indiana Michigan Power say they are working to restore power, but it will take time and patience.
"We understand that there's never a convenient time to lose power. The past few days have been really crazy with the severe weather rolling through the area. Our crews have been working around the clock these past few days trying to clean up storm damage trying to restore power back to those people that lost power." says Demetrious Lewis, Senior Communications Specialist at Indiana Michigan Power.
Both NIPSCO and Indiana Michigan Power tell ABC57 the best way to stay informed is to check their website for updates on estimated restoration times.