The situation in northwest Indiana is still not getting better for some families more than a week after devastating storms.

Food is being handed out to some of those in need. Meanwhile, crews continue working on restoring power for residents and businesses.

Thousands are still without power. They have no air conditioning, and cannot keep food from going bad.

The Salvation Army is providing lunches for families who were impacted by last week's storm.

There are currently over 63,000 Northern Indiana Public Service Company customers without electricity. The timeline to get people back online has been pushed back, with customers in Gary and Portage expected to be back online by next Tuesday.

"It's unacceptable that so many Hoosiers are still without power," Indiana Gov. Mike Braun said in a statement Thursday. "Our state agencies, including the Indiana National Guard, Indiana Department of Transportation, Department of Correction, Indiana State Police, and the Department of Natural Resources, are all taking unprecedented action to help NIPSCO turn the lights back on. I deeply appreciate the linemen and crews who are putting in the legwork and long hours to address these outages. It's on NIPSCO management to step up, take this seriously and restore power now."

Those who are still without power have been growing impatient and are hoping it is restored sooner rather than later.

In Schererville, officials said electrical wires were down Thursday near US 41 and Main Street and causing power outages for home and traffic lights in the town.

NIPSCO confirmed it responded to a pole fire at the location. It has cause additional power outages for about 9,000 customers in the area.

"I do understand that they said now that our power will be back on next week, and you know that's kind of crazy because they did say our power will be back on Friday. Like multiple other cities are back up and running," said Shay Boldn, who lives in Gary.

SEE ALSO: Track power outages in your area with the ABC7 Chicago Power Outage Tracker

"It's not pleasant," said Debra Winters, who lives in Gary. "I get annoyed. I'm older, you know, we get set in our ways. And I mean we've been trying to make it work because we know they're out there working, trying to get it going. It's a lot because Gary was impacted pretty badly."

NIPSCO continues to face mounting frustration from neighbors. The company said the repair work has not been easy, adding that the storm damage in Gary was unlike anything crews have seen.

"These aren't simple repairs. These are lines that ordinarily take us, and systems that ordinarily take weeks or months that we are trying to accomplish in days or weeks," NiSource Group Utilities President Melody Birmingham said.

Lunches will be distributed from 11:30 a.m. until 2 p.m. at the Salvation Army. It is at a first come, first served basis.

Relief efforts continue in East Chicago. Several groups are teaming up for a food giveaway at Greater Destiny Bible Church. The food pantry runs from 9 a.m. until noon. Then, a free community cookout runs from noon to 4 p.m.

Other food giveaways are happening Thursday. One started at 8 a.m. at the Calumet Township Multi-Purpose Center in Gary. Another began at noon at Gospel Truth Apostolic Ministry in Gary. And a third starts at 4 p.m. at Portage High School.

The Hard Rock Casino made a $100,000 donation to Gary for recovery operations.

More than a week after severe storms swept through northwest Indiana, residents and businesses in Dyer continue to deal with the effects of prolonged power outages.

While power has gradually been restored to some businesses, owners say they are still struggling to recover lost inventory and revenue before they can fully reopen.

Tony Vicario, owner of Tony's Italian Deli in Dyer, said he is eager to welcome customers back. Throughout the week, customers have continued stopping by the shop, only to find it still closed while he waits for a shipment of fresh food needed to resume operations.

"This has been non stop for three days people coming to the door. I feel terrible we don't know what else we can do at this point," Vicario said.

Vicario said the storm left his business without power for more than seven days. During that time, all of his fresh and frozen products spoiled, resulting in what he estimated to be about $25,000 in lost revenue.

"It's been rough for everyone I have support for my friends, neighbors, employees and myself. It'a been rough we had a total loss of all our perishable foods both frozen and fresh," he said.

Despite the hardships, community members have been supporting one another. Many customers have indicated they plan to return Saturday as businesses work toward reopening.

"It's been rough it's been really bad, but I think a lot of people pulled together for each other," said Charlotte Lindsay.

Similar challenges have affected other businesses in the area. In nearby Schererville, L Squared, which includes a golf simulator, bar and restaurant, was forced to close after losing power for nine days. Service was restored Wednesday night, according to owner Niko Vlahos.

"It's tough because the revenue dried up but the bills keep coming out everyday," Vlahos said.

The extended outages also prompted action from local officials. The Dyer Town Council sent an urgent letter to NIPSCO seeking improved communication while large portions of the area remained without power and residents received limited information from the utility.

Since then, town officials say communication has improved.

"Communication has improved we have daily zoom calls with NIPSCO admin and each town around the region so it has helped. We have suggested that something like that from day 2 would have been beneficial for everybody," said Dave Hein, Dyer town manager.

As recovery efforts continue, officials reported another setback Thursday. A utility pole fire in Dyer caused additional power outages across much of the town. Officials said they were working to determine how long the latest outage could delay restoration and recovery efforts.

Gov. JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Revenue announced disaster tax relief for residents and businesses in 15 counties affected by severe weather.

Illinois currently leads the nation with approximately 204 tornadoes this year, the governor's office said.

Tax relief applies to counties included in Pritzker's Disaster Proclamation: Cook (July 27, Aug. 9-11), DuPage (July 27, Aug. 9-11), Kane (July 2-4), LaSalle (Aug. 9-11), Lake (July 27), Will (July 27, Aug. 9-11).

Taxpayers seeking a waiver of penalties and interest for taxes should send a brief written explanation to IDOR regarding why they cannot file timely or pay. They should provide their full name, account number (if using a Social Security number, include only the last four digits), mailing address and an estimate of when they believe they can file or pay their taxes.

Requests may be submitted electronically to [email protected] or by mail using the address on the return.

When submitting by mail, taxpayers should write "Severe Storms - Summer 2026" at the top of the return in red ink and attach or include the explanation for requesting abatement of penalties and interest.

If impacted taxpayers have already been billed for penalties, they should email [email protected] and provide their name, business name, account number(s), and the periods for which they filed late due to the storms to request penalty abatement. Taxpayers should include "Severe Storms - Summer 2026" in any communications with IDOR when requesting relief.

Taxpayers who experienced property damage should contact their county supervisor of assessments if they wish to apply for a reassessment.