Northern Indiana Public Service Co. and the NiSource Charitable Foundation are donating $2 million to northwest Indiana disaster relief efforts following the severe storms that devastated the region Aug. 11. The Merrillville-based utility said it will also suspend disconnections for customers who have not paid their bills and pause collection activities through Sept. 30.

“The work of recovery doesn’t end when power is restored,” Melody Birmingham, executive vice president and group president of NiSource utilities, said in a news release. “Across Northwest Indiana, local organizations have been helping to provide families with food, support seniors, coordinate volunteers and address the challenges that remain after the storms. This funding will help sustain those community-led efforts and ensure organizations can continue serving residents in the weeks and months ahead.”

NIPSCO and the NiSource Charitable Foundation will direct funding to the Legacy Foundation, Community Foundation and Unity Foundation to support local recovery efforts. The utility joins a several other businesses, including the Chicago Bears, that have given funds for disaster relief efforts.

The severe weather affected approximately 374,500 NIPSCO customers and caused extensive damage to the utility’s transmission and distribution systems, officials said. It left many northwest Indiana residents without power for nearly two weeks.

The prolonged outages have drawn criticism from local and state officials. Gary Mayor Eddie Melton called the pace of restoration “unacceptable,” while Braun asked the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission to investigate whether NIPSCO properly used funding approved for vegetation management and right-of-way maintenance.

As of Wednesday morning, NIPSCO had “substantially completed” its storm restoration efforts.

The utility said customers experiencing financial challenges can also explore NIPSCO’s assistance programs and other resources through NIPSCO’s Financial Support page.

NIPSCO serves about 859,000 natural gas customers and 486,000 electric customers across 32 Indiana counties.