Michael Howie

Thunderstorms beginning Sunday and continuing Monday night into Tuesday morning dumped up to 8 inches of rain in Northwest Indiana, flooding streets, affecting oil refineries and leaving residents in the area with flooded basements. Whiting, Hammond and East Chicago appeared to have been hit the hardest.

The BP oil refinery in Whiting said its operations were impacted by the deluge and had crews responding to reports of odors throughout the surrounding area. A sheen — the shiny appearance of water caused by petroleum products mixed with it — on 121st Street in Whiting prompted officials to close the street between Schrage Avenue and Front Street for cleanup.

The storms caused a two-hour delay to the start of the school day in Whiting on Tuesday morning.

In Hammond, offici

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