top of page
AUGUST 11, 2026 | DERECHO STORM RESPONSE
Coming together
for The Region.
After a record-breaking storm swept through Lake and Porter Counties, more than a quarter million households across Northwest Indiana were left without power. This marked the largest, most-widespread power outage in NIPSCO history. What followed was not a relief operation run from a warehouse. It was community centers and gyms turned shelters, grocery stores provided food,congregations opened their fellowship halls, and Community Advocates of Northern Indiana showed up with food, screenings, and tools for families to rebuild with.
250,000+
Residents without power
following the storm
1,500+
Giveaways including pantry staples, baby food, and hot meals provided to community from CANI
1,650+
Community Members Supported
in Storm Relief Outreach efforts
WATCH OUR IMPACT VIDEO
Our Storm Response
Our Work
in Action.
The Derecho strikes
Northwest Indiana
August 11
Straight-line winds take down transmission lines across the region. NIPSCO reports outages affecting more than 250,000 customers. Refrigerators go warm. Pharmacies move to limited hours. Routine medical appointments are postponed across the county.
Read more about the storms here.
One week after the storm, community began to come together. St. Timothy AME Zion Church in Chicago, St. Timothy Community Church in Gary, and Community Advocates was proud to come together to meet an immediate need. We provided food, music, and games for community. Our team provided behavioral health and health screenings for all community who joined.
We were proud to provide thousands of supplies to community. Our field team gave away pantry staples from baby food and canned protein, we reached families who would not have otherwise been reached. We also provided free health screenings alongside the distribution, so a resident could get a blood pressure check, talk with someone about how they were holding up, and leave with resources to move forward.
CANI provided hundreds of chicken and fish dinners served in week two of the outage, the stretch after the novelty wears off and before the lights come back. Health screenings were offered alongside the meal.
Third & McKinley Relief
Block Party
August 18
Supply distribution at
First Baptist Church in Gary
August 11
Community Outreach Dinner at Bibleway Church of God's Word
August 11
Routing relief funds through CANI
Several organizations have asked whether we can receive and administer storm relief dollars on their healf. We can, and here is what that arrangement looks like.
An established 501(c)(3)
CANI has held federal tax-exempt status since 2016 under EIN 81-3741656. Contributions are tax deductible.
Our filings are public
Every Form 990 we have filed is available through ProPublica's Nonprofit Explorer.
Reporting already in place.
We file monthly reports to our funders, the Indiana Minority Health Coalition, and to the Lake County Health Department. We are prepared to share reporting on any funds recieved.
Relationships, not cold outreach
Every distribution above happened because of our partnerships with the community members, organizations, and institutions in the place we call home.
If you are still working to
get back on your feet.
Call 211 for help with food, shelter, utilities, and storm damage.
If your organization wants to talk about working with CANI in a storm response effort, reach out to us directly at (219) 885-9755
bottom of page