Intense storms that ravaged the Chicago area and northwest Indiana on Tuesday left behind more damage than a Hoosier state chief of police said he has ever seen.
Portage, Indiana, Mayor Austin Bonta said when he spoke with Michael Candiano, the city’s chief of police, after the storms rolled through, Candiano said “he has never seen so much destruction in one storm as we’ve gotten so far in this one.”
“Several roads are impassable across the city, and we are asking everyone who can to stay in place rather than traveling at this time. Police and Fire are setting up a command center and we will be out addressing issues with our Public Works Team as fast as possible. Right now, please stay inside and in place,” the mayor said around 3 p.m.
As of just before 4 p.m., more than 290,000 NIPSCO customers were without power, according to data provided by the utility company. In Schererville, Indiana, the entire town was without power as of just after 1 p.m. CT, according to local police.
Bonta also signed an emergency proclamation for Portage after the storms.
First day of classes for Portage Township Schools that were originally scheduled for Wednesday were canceled after the storms, the district announced.
“Due to the effects of today’s storm, the first day of school tomorrow, August 12, is canceled for all PTS schools. All scheduled extracurricular activities are canceled today and tomorrow as well,” the school district said. “We are currently assessing the safety of our campuses and are remaining in contact with city and township officials to monitor the progress of recovery. We will keep everyone updated on the status of school for the remainder of the week once we better understand the extent of the damages across the city and township and have a timeline for recovery efforts.”
High winds from the powerful and damaging storms caused several semi-trucks to roll over on busy roadways and interstates in northwest Indiana, Sgt. Glen Fifield with the Indiana State Police Lowell Post told NBC Chicago.
Downed powerlines and overturned semis left portions of a major interstate in northwest Indiana shut down as officials work to figure out how to reopen the roadway.
“We’ve got two rolled over semis. We have one that was down near Lowell on the northbound side of I-65, and another one here southbound at U.S. 30, just north of U.S. 30,” he said. “That’s causing problems.”
In addition to the overturned semis, Fifield said power lines were down north of I-94, which shut down both directions of I-65 north of I-94 and south of U.S. 20.