More than 200 free meals and grocery gift cards were distributed to those impacted by the Aug. 11 northwestern Indiana storms at Scott Middle School in Hammond, Ind., on Aug. 15. Around 30,000 residents in the area remained without power on Saturday, 11 days after the storm. Photo Courtesy City of Hammond/Facebook
Aug. 22 (UPI) -- As some residents of northwestern Indiana endured an 11th day without power on Saturday following devastating storms, the Chicago Bears and others announced they are extending aid to stricken families and businesses.
Nearly 30,000 residents remained without power in Lake and Porter counties as of midday Saturday, according to Northern Indiana Public Service Company, or NIPSCO.
That's down from 374,500 in the hours following the Aug. 11 storms when a destructive wave of severe weather swept through the area packing high winds, heavy rain and tornadoes and triggering widespread flooding.
Among the hardest hit cities were Gary, East Chicago, Hammond and Munster, all of which are located along the south shore of Lake Michigan southeast of the Chicago metropolitan area.
