08/19/2026
For the thousands clearing out branches and trees, this is important information to know - help spread the word to keep everyone in NWI safe!
🚨 NORTHWEST INDIANA WEATHER: BECAUSE APPARENTLY THE TREES, POWER LINES, AND ATMOSPHERE HAVE ALL CHOSEN VIOLENCE. 🚨
After the recent rounds of storms, the Lowell area and the rest of Northwest Indiana have been dealing with downed trees, broken limbs, power lines on the ground, gas leaks, and enough storm damage to make Mother Nature look like she’s working through some personal issues.
So, from your friendly neighborhood Lowell Fire Department, here are a few reminders on how NOT to become the sequel to the original emergency.
🌳 DOWNED TREES & LIMBS
We know. You own a chainsaw. You’ve been waiting for this moment your entire adult life.
But before you fire up the ol’ homeowner special and start auditioning for Lumberjack: Lake County Edition, LOOK AROUND.
If the tree or limb is touching, near, tangled in, leaning on, or even suspiciously close to a power line:
LEAVE. IT. ALONE.
Electricity does not care that you “just need to make one quick cut.”
Neither does the tree under several thousand pounds of tension that may suddenly decide to launch itself into another ZIP code.
⚡ DOWNED POWER LINES
Here’s an easy rule:
WIRE DOWN = STAY AWAY.
Do not touch it.
Do not drive over it.
Do not move it with a stick.
Do not poke it with something because “rubber doesn’t conduct electricity.”
Do not gather around it with the neighbors and conduct a town hall meeting.
Assume EVERY downed wire is energized.
Keep yourself, your kids, your pets, your vehicles, and your curiosity WELL away and report it to 911 and the electric utility.
🔥 SMELL GAS? THIS IS NOT THE TIME TO INVESTIGATE.
If you smell natural gas or hear gas escaping:
GET OUT.
Don’t flip light switches.
Don’t light anything.
Don’t start experimenting with electrical equipment.
And absolutely do not wander around sniffing the house saying, “I think it’s stronger over here.”
Go to a safe location away from the building and call 911 and your gas utility.
We have fancy equipment for figuring out where gas is coming from.
Your nose is not fancy equipment.
⛈️ SEVERE STORMS
When severe weather is approaching, please pay attention to warnings.
A tornado warning is not a suggestion to walk onto the porch, cross your arms, stare west, and announce:
“Yep… she’s lookin’ pretty nasty.”
Go inside.
Get away from windows.
Move to the lowest, most interior area available.
Have multiple ways to receive weather alerts.
Keep phones charged when storms are expected.
And please don’t wait until the sirens are screaming, the patio furniture is airborne, and somebody’s trampoline is passing you at 45 mph before deciding:
“Maybe we should head downstairs.”
🚒 AFTER THE STORM
Storm over does NOT mean hazards over.
Power lines may be hidden beneath branches. Trees may be unstable. Roads may be flooded or blocked. Utility equipment may be damaged. Gas lines may have been struck or pulled apart.
If you don’t know whether something is safe…
DON’T TOUCH IT.
Calling us to check something suspicious is considerably easier than calling us because your investigation went catastrophically sideways.
Our crews, police, public works, utility companies, dispatchers, and neighboring agencies have been working through a lot of storm-related incidents.
Help us help you:
✅ Stay away from downed wires
✅ Treat damaged trees cautiously
✅ Leave immediately if you suspect a gas leak
✅ Take severe weather warnings seriously
✅ Keep roads clear for emergency and utility crews
✅ Check on neighbors when it is SAFE to do so
Northwest Indiana weather will continue doing Northwest Indiana weather things.
We’ll continue doing fire department things.
Your assignment is to avoid doing anything that makes us meet under preventable circumstances.
Stay safe, Lowell. 🚒⚡🌳⛈️
— Lowell Fire Department
