It was Day 11 without power in Gary, Ind., and Pierre Ervin, 46, was beyond fed up. He could not eat breakfast after throwing out rotting refrigerator food. About 30,000 customers remained without electricity Saturday evening. 56 percent of those people are in Gary, a majority-Black city of 67,000. Myles Tolliver, a Gary councilman, said: 'My people are being overlooked. We need the lights on.'

On Saturday, Gary residents said they were angry to be last in line for power. Northern Indiana Public Service Co. said Gary and Portage would be the last back. Daymond Willis, 45, a chef without power since Aug 11, said: 'If we weren't a Black city things would be different.' Utility spokesman Steve Segura said crews were added. Gov. Mike Braun urged the utility to match the urgency and request a FEMA disaster declaration.

The Aug 11 storm was a derecho with 99 miles per hour gusts, part of a parade. Through July, 89 tornadoes touched down in Indiana, above the annual average of 28. Ricky Castro, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Romeoville, Ill., called it a hyperactive season. Donations of food, tarps, water and repair kits have flowed into Gary. President Trump granted an emergency declaration last week, but FEMA officials have not been present on the ground.