Mark Keene, a Realtor and managing broker in Gary, Indiana, has watched the aftermath of severe storms disrupt residents, businesses and properties across the region.
Despite prolonged power outages and storm damage, he said local real estate professionals have kept business moving while also doing what they can to help fellow community members.
“I never saw anything like the devastation that came through here, like it did this past storm — trees knocked down, that sort of thing,” Keene told HousingWire. “I love Gary, and there’s plenty of people around trying to bring the power back.”
Keene said utility crews have remained visible throughout the area as restoration efforts continue.
The storms, which began Aug. 11, brought record rainfall, flooding and widespread destruction to northwest Indiana. At least seven people were killed and about 1,000 were displaced as floodwaters inundated communities across the region, numerous outlets reported.
Real estate activity remains amid disaster
For Keene, the storm has caused delays but has not stopped business.
“I’m waiting for power to come back in a couple houses so I can go do showings, but that’s just a matter of being patient,” he said. “I got a listing that’s coming up that got delayed because the lady lost power. She was stuck because there were trees across the road.
“The trees still aren’t gone. She’s got power back on, though. I’m meeting with her contractors later this week to get the house cleaned.”
The property management side of Keene’s business has been affected more directly.
“There are some houses that we manage where there’s been some issues,” he said. “Clients have been displaced — partly because of damage from trees. You know, that has nothing to do with the city of Gary. It’s just Mother Nature.”
Keene said some properties also flooded because of the loss of electricity and a high water table, with some of those problems expected to ease once power is restored.
Storm raises questions about preparedness
The disaster has prompted legal and political scrutiny of NIPSCO. A class-action lawsuit filed this week alleges the utility failed to adequately trim vegetation near power lines, contributing to outages caused by fallen trees and vegetation.
NIPSCO disputes the allegations and said its spending on vegetation management has more than doubled since 2016.
Indiana Gov. Mike Braun has requested an expedited major disaster declaration from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for 54 counties — and estimates that losses from the storms could exceed $5 billion.
“My power went out Tuesday afternoon, and I got it back on Sunday,” Keene said. “So, for five or six days, I had no power. Really couldn’t do work. Didn’t have the internet, that sort of thing.”
Still, Keene said he viewed the experience as an inconvenience rather than a catastrophe, and encouraged ongoing support for residents more severely affected. “I had to delay some things for a week. I got to hang out with my wife and walk my dog more than I normally do,” he said.
The severity of the storms has also raised questions about how residents, businesses and utilities can prepare for future disasters. Keene said some emergencies can be anticipated, but storms of this scale are more difficult to plan for.
“These last two storms — they were so [severe],” he said. “If you live in Florida, they know [that] hurricanes are coming, so they can prep for that. The tornado that came through here, you really can’t prepare for that. This storm that came through [is the type you see] like once every 100 years.”
As restoration continues, Gary residents and businesses face the task of repairing damaged properties and returning to normal operations.
For Keene, the experience has reinforced the importance of patience while highlighting limits of what residents and businesses can do to prepare for unusually destructive storms.
