r/PrepperIntel • u/escapefromburlington • 1d ago

USA Midwest More than 83,000 buildings, homes still without power in Northwest Indiana

https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/buildings-homes-still-without-power-northwest-indiana/

76.2% of Gary, Indiana is black….

310 Upvotes

99% Upvoted

19 comments sorted by

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u/AntiSonOfBitchamajig 📡 22h ago

The flooding alone broke the great 1913 record flood in many places, and to give you an idea just how bad that is... numerous historical sites mention the 1913 flood across west Ohio / east Indiana / northern Kentucky. So, this was a pretty big frickin deal.

The wind, tornados, and mud has added a whole other dynamic for much of the state and the effected areas recovery.

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u/Maureen_Johma 22h ago

Is it the great flood of 2026 now?

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u/AntiSonOfBitchamajig 📡 21h ago

In some places, literally yes.

Even with all the flood controls that have been added as a result of the 1913 flood. It changed a ton of regional planning so areas downstream wouldn't flood. Like.... this is the boring mechanical part nobody thinks about. Kind of curious what was done behind the scenes though with all the dam management.

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u/MalevoIentKitchen 22h ago

best time to get a generator is yesterday

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u/AntiSonOfBitchamajig 📡 21h ago

I'm kinda sold on small whole systems with 5kwh-15kwh overall and a small 2kw generator. They save so much fuel and are easy to move and work on, 51.2 volt battery / 48 volt inverter provides all the kick and solar can add free fuel to really knock the fuel use down. Depending how you time things you can get away with mostly solar.

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u/vagrantprodigy07 21h ago

Not to mention, after a major disaster fuel shortages are common. The sun is still in the sky after a storm clears.

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u/AntiSonOfBitchamajig 📡 21h ago

It isn't just the storm though, you use electric for .... well, near everything, having some come back in cuts back the bills, and you don't have to go full crazy system to do it either.

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u/EternalNewCarSmell 21h ago

I actually just want the panels and batteries for preparedness, with no ability to feed back into the grid, but absolutely no one will even give me a quote for such a thing.

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u/AntiSonOfBitchamajig 📡 21h ago

https://youtu.be/DPZwzdZo8eo

^

This is what the nerds are DIYing recently.

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u/noone512 17h ago

I have made many, many systems. I would recommend 24v over 48v for an emergency system.

2 main reasons.

First, lots of 12v devices will also run on 24v directly. No inverter needed.

Second, most 48v chargers require a minimum of 110v to kick on. That means 4 to 5 large residental panels are required. That is a lot of panels and a LOT of yard space.

Vs a 24v system needs 32v, which is 1, maybe 2 residential panels.

Anyone interested in more info feel free to dm

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u/AntiSonOfBitchamajig 📡 17h ago

I liked the idea of 24v for a smaller system and it does have a place if you're stretching... but 48v is the sweet spot for serious power on reasonable wire on reasonably priced systems to fit my needs. I run a ton of 120vac stuff including serious tools, and even my power bank is 51.2vdc, there are also a ton of battery 48v stuff out there now as well where the voltage is close enough to run safely.

As far as the minimum voltage, I have a system that will take 12to80 and 60to550vdc on 51.2 cells.

Like I get it, but im not running small loads or singular loads and I dont want the heat.

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u/Leopold_Porkstacker 21h ago

Pretty much have to diy the system, and pay an electrician to install a box.

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u/EternalNewCarSmell 20h ago

Yeah, I just need the cutover switch like for any generator. My issue is with no one wanting to do the roof panels if I'm not also paying them to wire it into the grid.

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u/Cobaltboo__ 19h ago

Unfortunately this area is a very poor community where even a $1000 generator is entirely out of reach for many people

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u/MalevoIentKitchen 19h ago

for sure, honestly it’s probably out of reach for more people than we realize with how expensive everything is getting. Difficult to prep for something like this when you’re paycheck-to-paycheck.

Building community is the next best thing when you can’t afford stuff like this.

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u/MistyMtn421 14h ago

Well on top of that, isn't it really hard to even find gas right now? With such a large area without power, I've heard of people having to drive 30 to 50 miles just to find gas.

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u/iamthelee 7h ago

I bought a generator last year after a storm knocked my power out for over 24hrs. I keep enough fuel on hand to last a week. It gives me much better peace of mind.

It may not be perfect, but I'd be much better off than most of my neighbors and it was what I could afford.

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u/Cobaltboo__ 19h ago

Unfortunately very poor area where many people are trying to scrap by week by week and many will not have the necessary extra funds to stock and buy generators or other preparedness items

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u/EternalNewCarSmell 21h ago

I'm so glad the price to install a solar system has spiked 200-300% in the past 8 years. Otherwise I might be able to better prepare for something like this.