Gary stakeholders discuss climate vulnerabilities - The Times of Northwest Indiana

Gary stakeholders discuss climate vulnerabilities

GARY — Isioma Nwayor clicked through images of devastating floods and graphs showing increasing precipitation levels.

The graduate student stood in Indiana University Northwest’s Library Conference Center, a building that sits just a short walk from the former location of Tamarack Hall — a university building that had to be demolished after the historic flood of 2008.

The 2008 flood ultimately resulted in two deaths and about $88 million in damages.
City employees, representatives from various environmental nonprofits and a few small business owners were invited to attend a Tuesday workshop focused on environmental resilience. Attendees gathered in small groups to discuss Gary's current climate vulnerabilities.

“These things are not abstract,” Nwayor said as she pointed to a photo of the 2021 wildfire that tore through about 300 acres in Miller Woods.“These are things that have happened in the past and they are likely to happen in the future.”

People are also reading…

As the Earth’s climate continues to change, scientists say extreme weather-related events will become more and more common. Gary and several other municipalities across the state are working with IU’s Environmental Resilience Institute to make sure the next time there is a flood or fire, the city is ready.

A changing climate

Nwayor, an IU student pursuing a Ph.D. in geography, has been working with Gary as a McKinney Climate Fellow for the past eight weeks. She has been helping the city’s Environmental Affairs Department to craft a climate vulnerability assessment. Using demographic data, emission calculations and past weather trends, Nwayor’s report predicts how Gary will be impacted by climate change.

Nwayor and Brenda Scott-Henry, who serves as director of the Environmental Affairs Department and as the city’s stormwater coordinator, led a community workshop Tuesday. They wanted to hear from stakeholders that represented five key “systems:” human, natural, economic, cultural and built. Attendees included; small business owners, representatives from the city, several local environmental nonprofits, the Gary Health Department, the Gary Public Transportation Corp., the Gary Area Career Center, the Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission and the Legacy Foundation.

The 40 some attendees worked in break-out sessions, listing the cities’ current environmental vulnerabilities and their causes.

Nwayor has prepared a draft “Climate Primer Trend,” which details how various climate models predict the city will change over the next few decades. However, Nwayor said she wanted to hear directly from the people that live and work in Gary before finalizing the document.

“They get to tell us what they have actually been experiencing,” she said.

The city is also circulating a residential survey, which can be accessed at qfreeaccountssjc1.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bx9nZzfSVIdeDDo. Scott-Henry said another stakeholder workshop will be held before the climate vulnerability analysis is completed, likely some time this fall.

Nwayor said her research has shown Gary’s biggest climate vulnerabilities will likely be worsening air quality, flooding and contaminated wastewater discharge. According to her Climate Primer Trend document, since 1985 Indiana has seen an average temperature increase of about 1.2° F, or an average of 0.1° F per decade.

The impact of climate change differs across the state. In Northern Indiana, the number of extreme cold and frost days is expected to decrease from the current average of 13-per-year to just six by 2050. The average number of extreme heat days per year is expected to increase from seven to somewhere between 38 and 51.

Nwayor said precipitation events will become more extreme and unpredictable — both droughts and floods will likely become more common.

If the city does not have careful plans in place, these changes in the local climate could damage properties, worsen public health and even result in deaths.

Avoiding the ‘point of no return’

“Is there such a thing as a point of no return?” asked Edward Vega Sr., community impact director for the Legacy Foundation.

With phrases like “worst air quality in the world,” “hottest days on record” and “severe flooding” filling headlines, it can be easy to feel disheartened. However, Nwayor assured the crowd that mitigation can change the world’s current climate trend.

Her presentation included predictions on what would happen to the climate if greenhouse gas emissions increase, if they stay the same, if they go down slightly and if they are greatly reduced.

“We don’t want to be pessimistic,” Nwayor said. “We can actually do our part and hope that we can make some changes.”

Gary’s partnership with IU’s Environmental Resilience Institute, or ERI, goes back multiple years. Both Gary and Michigan City participated in ERI’s first cohort back in 2019,, which involved the creation of a greenhouse gas inventory. Then in 2021, Gary and an ERI fellow used the information learned from the inventory to craft a Climate Action Plan.
Jennifer Rudderham, Gary resident and member of Gary Advocates for Responsible Development, asks a question during the Tuesday workshop. The city is partnering with IU's Environmental Resilience Institute to analyze the city's current climate vulnerabilities and craft an environmental resilience plan.

The Northwest Indiana Regional Planning Commission, NWI Region Resilience and Earth Charter Indiana have also partnered with ERI, conducting greenhouse gas inventories for Lake, Porter and LaPorte counties as well as for Cedar Lake, Chesterton, East Chicago, Highland, Hobart, Lake Station, LaPorte, Merrillville, Munster, Schererville, Valparaiso, Hammond and Portage.

Once the climate vulnerability analysis is done, another ERI fellow will help the city create an environmental resilience plan, identifying different preparedness steps the city could take. Potential resiliency efforts include things like remediating wetlands to address flooding concerns, planting more trees to reduce the urban heat island effect and strengthening city communication channels so residents can be reached during crises.

Scott-Henry said the city needs to think about climate resiliency projects that “will meet the needs of the future, not just today.”

Work on the environmental resilience plan will likely begin later this fall.

Scott-Henry said the city has come a long way since she took over the Environmental Affairs Department a decade ago.

“If it had not been for the ERI program, I don’t think we would have been able to move as far as we have,” she added.

PHOTOS: Restoration efforts at Hatcher Park

Harry Kuttner (from left), Emily Glover and Jessica Fernandez join Daniel Suarez on a tour of the wooded area of Hatcher Park in Gary.

Craig Zandstra (left) and Harry Kuttner pause to check out a portion of Hatcher Park in Gary.

The pool at Hatcher Park has long been abandoned.

The pool at Hatcher Park has long been abandoned.

Daniel Suarez (from left) discusses plans for Hatcher Park with Harry Kuttner, Emily Glover and Jessica Fernandez.

Craig Zandstra leads the way on a tour of Hatcher Park in Gary.

Daniel Suarez (from left) leads Harry Kuttner, Emily Glover, Jessica Fernandez and Craig Zandstra on a tour of the wooded area of Hatcher Park in Gary.

Craig Zandstra (from left), Jessica Fernandez, Daniel Suarez, Emily Glover and Harry Kuttner discuss plans for the wooded area of Hatcher Park in Gary.