City of Valparaiso Comprehensive Storm Debris Operations Plan

The City of Valparaiso’s emergency crews opened the majority of the main thoroughfares within six hours of the storm on Tuesday, allowing NIPSCO’s power restoration efforts to begin immediately. Since that time, the City has been running a collective effort between all departments to operate all City services without interruption, coordinate restoration with NIPSCO, and collect brush and debris from the city. Just four roads within the city continue to have power line entanglements requiring NIPSCO attention before they can be cleared. 

“We estimate that about 90% of Valparaiso’s residents and businesses are now restored with NIPSCO power. Valparaiso City Services is now nearly entirely on NIPSCO power. We understand that this is little comfort to those who remain without power, but the City continues to do everything possible to assist our residents,” said Mayor Jon Costas. “Further, our emergency medical services have worked to ensure vulnerable populations, such as those in assisted living and nursing homes, to ensure they have services.” 

A dumpster remains available through the weekend for residents to dispose of any spoiled food. The dumpster is located at the Valparaiso City Services campus, 1855 Joliet Rd. This is for food waste only; not furnishings or other debris. Regular trash delivery will be on its normal schedule, Monday through Thursday. 

In addition, a ChicaGO Dash bus is available in front of City Hall, 166 Lincolnway, through 3:00 pm on Sunday, August 16 for people to use for recharging devices, cooling off and accessing internet. 

The City of Valparaiso emergency response team has now shifted from hazard mitigation to the next phases and they are as follows:

• Centralized Brush Operations: Public Works, Parks, City Services and external contractors are using a unified command structure with a single daily operational plan. 
• Operational Zones: Based on priority and immediate need (heaviness and size of brush), the city will be divided into targeted operational quadrants for more efficient operations and to prevent overlapping efforts between city crews and contracted resources. 
• Resource Allocation by Task Type: 
  • Heavy Clearing: Grapple trucks, loaders and large dump trailers for massive trunks, root-balls, and heavy logs. 
  • Brush Collection Teams: Crews assigned to residential streets for small-to-medium branches. 
  • Traffic Control & Safety: Support crews dedicated to flagger duty, road closures and site safety perimeter control around active cutting zones. 
• Staging & Processing Site: Communication with Porter County to prepare a plan for the mass quantities of tree debris. 
• Rotational Sweep Schedules: Dive into the zone rotation for a systematic, street-by-street sweep through mapped sectors to maximize fuel efficiency and hourly volume. 
• Compost Site Management: Working with Porter County to plan for transition of collected material.
• Right-of-Way Repair: Inspect turf, sidewalks, storm drains and curb lines damaged by heavy machinery or root-ball removals during cleanup. 
• After-Action Review: Conduct a post-incident debrief across participating departments to document equipment hours, contractor costs and process improvements for future weather events and reimbursement with any possible disaster funding.

What can Valpo resident do to help:

• CUT/PILE/SEPARATE/WAIT 
  • Place brush/limbs at the curb/right-of-way, clear of fire hydrants, water meters, storm drains, or low-hanging power lines. 
  • Separate clean storm brush/branches from regular trash and construction debris. 
  • You can also assist in taking material to the Valparaiso compost site as that reduces the stain on operations as crews are working round the clock to manage the material. 
  • Please be patient. Valparaiso has already removed well over 300 tons of debris and continues to compile data for a comprehensive report to the community.

NIPSCO Update 

NIPSCO has announced plans to share a community-specific estimated time of restoration by end of day on Sunday, August 16. 

Residents Encouraged to Report Storm Damage 

Residents and businesses throughout Porter County who experienced storm-related damage are encouraged to report their damage to Indiana 211, even if the damage is already being addressed or is covered by insurance. 

Reporting damage helps emergency management officials document the scope and severity of the disaster and can assist in determining whether additional state or federal resources may become available. 

Residents can report damage through Indiana 211 by calling (866) 211-9966 or online at on.in.gov/IN-211. 

Damage reporting is not an application for financial assistance. The information collected will help identify the location, nature and severity of damage and assess community needs. If assistance becomes available for a specific need, residents may be contacted. 

Residents should also contact their insurance company to report damage and begin the claims process. Before beginning repairs, residents are reminded to consult their local permitting official regarding any required permits.