Harris shares constituent concerns regarding NIPSCO

Today, the Interim Study Committee on Energy, Utilities and Telecommunications met at the Indiana Statehouse to discuss the widespread and long-lasting power outages Northwest Indiana residents endured following severe weather on Aug. 11. This meeting was scheduled after the Northwest Indiana delegation of the Indiana House Democratic Caucus called for a hearing to examine NIPSCO's shortcomings in the wake of the storms.

State Rep. Earl Harris Jr. (D-East Chicago), testified before the committee to share his concerns and concerns from his constituents:

"What happened on Aug. 11 has been called the worst disaster in the state of Indiana. It was a horrendous experience; there were trees in houses, people lost power for weeks resulting in the loss of food, medicine and required people to leave their homes. I want to start by thanking the men and women who went out and worked day and night to restore power as fast as possible, but I also know that when this happens again, we need to improve communication between NIPSCO and the community.

"As a legislator, I got calls from constituents during this disaster, and part of the reason I was getting those calls is because they weren't getting the communication they needed from NIPSCO. That lack of communication hurt and scared a lot of people, and led to misinformation being spread through the Region.

"Transparency is key. We need to ensure vulnerable populations aren't being left in the dark about when their power will be restored. The Aug. 11 storm should not simply be remembered as the storm that caused massive power outages. It should be remembered as the event that taught us how to build a stronger, more transparent and more resilient emergency response system for Northwest Indiana."