Thousands of people are still without power in Indiana and some may not see their power restored for several more days, according to officials.

In Indiana, around 66,909 customers are without power, according to USA TODAY’s power outage tracker. The power outages come after severe storms, which began on Aug. 11, and caused deadly floods in the state that have killed at least seven people.

While it’s been over a week since the storms began, and some areas, like Gary, Indiana, which is around 30 miles southeast of Chicago, are expected to have their power restored by Aug. 25, the Northern Indiana Public Service Co. (NIPSCO) said in a Facebook post. But some may not see their power restored until later.

“We want to assure you that every customer and outage is important to us and remains a priority,” NIPSCO said.

According to NIPSCO, around 370,000 customers have been without power since Aug. 11.

Gary, Indiana, severely impacted by power outages

As communities wait for their power to be restored, Gary has been one of the Indiana cities hardest hit by the outages. The city says it will provide residents with three hot meals a day, tarps and charging stations, according to a Facebook post on the City of Gary Government page.

“The storm may have passed,” the city said. “The work continues. And Gary is not standing alone.”

But the damage from the storms has taken a toll on the city’s power system, leaving thousands without electricity or air conditioning, including children, senior citizens and those with disabilities or illnesses.

And according to Melody Birmingham, the executive vice president of NiSource, NIPSCO’s parent company, the damage done is among the “most extensive and complex systems our crews have encountered.”

“These are systems that are being rebuilt,” Birmingham said at an Aug. 19 news conference.

Most residents are expected to have their power restored on Tuesday, Aug. 25, at the earliest.

Some Indiana students’ first day of school postponed

It isn’t only homes that are still without power days after the storms: schools in some Indiana districts had to postpone the first day of school, Jenna Parker, an Indiana school teacher who lives in Munster, told USA TODAY. Parker also has three children, two of whom are in elementary school.

Parker and her family were without power for nearly a week after the storms hit the state, but her children were able to attend school on Monday, Aug. 17. They went back to school before the power at their home was restored, at around 5 p.m. local time that same day.

“My kids’ school was lucky enough that they got power over that weekend, so they were able to successfully start school Monday the 17th,” Parker said. “And I believe they had generators for their food, so the kids were able to come back and be in the AC and see all their friends.”

Parker teaches at a school in the Griffith Public Schools district, located two towns over, which wasn’t as lucky and had to postpone the first day of school. The new year was supposed to begin on Wednesday, Aug. 12, but is now set for Monday, Aug. 24.

“Most of the schools here were without power and did not have any classes for several days,” Parker said.

The first day of school was postponed “just because the buildings haven’t had internet, some of them lost power, they lost AC,” according to Parker. Getting equipment to the school to repair damage from the storm has also been difficult.

Until school is back in session, students have received home learning assignments on “acts of service [and] acts of kindness,” Parker said.

As this natural disaster has unfolded around them, students in the school district are learning how natural disasters affect communities, how communities come together to help each other and age-appropriate ways they can help.

“It’s a great idea,” Parker said. “Yes, [students] are learning a little bit about how town government works and how weather affects this, but you’re also just like, how are we teaching them how to be good people and humans?”

Where is power out in Indiana? See power outage map

This story was updated to add new information.

Julia Gomez is a Trending reporter for USA TODAY and covers space phenomena, scientific studies and natural disasters. Connect with her on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and TikTok: @juliamariegz, or email her at jgomez@gannett.com.