Tree Fall Causes 40-Hour Power Outage on City’s Northwest Side

Source: WISH-TV / WISH-TV

INDIANAPOLIS — People living near Tarkington Park on the city’s northwest side say they were without power for almost 40 hours this weekend. The outage happened after a tree fell onto a power line, sparking a fire.

Residents said they tried calling 911, but first responders never showed up because too many emergency calls came in simultaneously.

“We finally got through, and they told us the fire had already been reported,” said Amy Rose. “You could feel the energy in your feet. We were videotaping it through our window, and she said she could feel it in her teeth.”

AES Indiana says it has restored power to 95% of customers impacted by Friday’s severe weather system. However, due to the number of incidents and severity of the damage remaining, it is anticipated full restoration will be completed on Tuesday.

Rose said her power came back on late Sunday afternoon. Her neighbor, Phil Miller, said he’s thankful that AES teamed up with a local tree trimming service to clear branches off the power lines so the neighborhood could regain power.

“Big props to AES and all the tree guys who have been working long hours all over town,” he added.

Neighbors said it cost them about $1,000 to remove trees from their homes and power lines.

AES said they’re bringing in extra help, including crews from Massachusetts, who are set to arrive in Indianapolis to restore the power fully.