[Opinion] Black Communities Like Gary Are Often Overlooked During Disaster

Recently, thousands of residents spent two weeks without power in Gary, Indiana– a result of a devastating derecho storm that ravaged the town on Aug. 11. Nearly every sector, block and street was affected in the town, leaving Gary’s population of nearly 70,000 without light. In some cases, the blackout cut off access to water and waste treatment. In the aftermath of the storm, Indiana Governor Mike Braun, as well as thousands of citizens in the town and on social media have called the Northern Indiana Public Service Company (NIPSCO) into question, demanding to know why efforts to restore power took the extended time it did. Yet, the answer is clear. When looking into Gary’s residential demographics, what seemed to be nothing more than a singular tragedy was actually part of a decades-long racial issue. Patterns of devastation and natural disasters show that when disaster strikes marjority-black and impoverished communities, the severity remains overlooked.

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