Indiana American Water and the American Water Charitable Foundation Support Northwest Indiana to Navigate August Storm Damage

In the aftermath of the storms that raged across the state of Indiana last month, Indiana American Water and the American Water Charitable Foundation (AWCF), a philanthropic non-profit organization established by Indiana American Water, are facilitating support both financially and on-site. While this assistance is state-wide, Indiana American Water and AWCF continue to focus primarily on Northwest Indiana due to the severity of the storm damage in the region.

During the storms, utility employees worked day and night, seven days a week to maintain water and wastewater operations in Northwest Indiana, ensuring back up power generators were operational for facilities to provide safe, clean, and reliable drinking water and wastewater services through the storms.

“Our employees supported their community and fellow Northwest Indiana neighbors even when they themselves were navigating the disaster in their own personal lives,” Joel Reuter, external affairs for Indiana American Water said. “We’re very proud of our Northwest Indiana teams for putting their personal matters at bay for the greater good of the communities, and helping ensure they were served, and continue to be served, with vital water resources. I’ve heard many stories about how our employees continued serving customers even while parts of their own communities experienced extended power outages and damage to property. They were still going into the plant to make sure that the power and the back-up power generator were working and that everyone had water flow.”

In total, Indiana American Water and AWCF have committed more than $70,000 to organizations assisting residents and families recovering from recent weather-related emergencies across the state through a combination of disaster relief grants and strategic community investments. Indiana American Water and AWCF reserved a majority of these funds for Northwest Indiana as it experienced the most significant storm devastation state-wide.

“$55,000 of this monetary donation went to the Red Cross with $30,000 of that going directly to Red Cross efforts in Northwest Indiana,” Reuter said. “The remaining $15,000 was divided between other organizations and areas in need with $5,000 of that going to the Legacy Foundation’s work in Northwest Indiana.”

As an organization, Indiana American Water is very proud to support Indiana and, more specifically, Northwest Indiana. The company being local enhances its ability to communicate effectively, efficiently, and directly with community officials allowing the response time to be expedited and the enterprise’s general ability strengthened.

“When weather events impact Indiana communities, our employees don’t hesitate to step up,” President of Indiana American Water Barry L. Suits said. “Whether they’re helping maintain critical water and wastewater systems or supporting emergency response efforts, even when their own families and communities are facing storm-related challenges, our team remains committed to serving fellow Hoosiers. In addition, we are grateful for the support of the AWCF, who helped provide meaningful relief and recovery assistance across Indiana. These grants, combined with the commitment of our employees, reflect our mission to support the health and well-being of the communities we serve.”

As an example of Indiana American Water’s relationship with local leadership, during the storm the enterprise received a call directly from Gary’s municipal leadership about an issue with their backup power. Indiana American Water was able to provide a quick resolution to restore the power.

“We applaud our community officials, leaders, and those that run emergency response because in these situations it is a community effort to return to normal,” said Reuter.

While the devastation might be significant, Indiana American Water and AWCF, are meeting the needs of the local Northwest Indiana communities and going beyond the call of duty across the state of Indiana. This dedication is helping countless Northwest Indiana natives in particular return to their daily lives after the storm flipped their normal day-to-day upside down. Between Indiana American Water, AWCF, and countless volunteer efforts, Northwest Indiana and the larger state are on a faster road to recovery.

For more information on Indiana American Water, visit its website at amwater.com/inaw. To learn more about AWCF, visit its website here.