LAKE STATION | The two-story blue and white house at 27th Avenue and Fry Street was supposed to be their dream home when she and her fiance bought it 10 months ago, said Tina Jones.

Now, because of the recent swirling floodwater from nearby Deep River that filled nearby streets and came up to their front porch, the house is so structurally unsound, it might have to be torn down, she said.

"This was where we were going to spend the rest of our life and maybe have our marriage and reception here," she said while assessing damages.

Her fiance, Jim Moss, said a representative from the Department of Homeland Security visited the house on the weekend and determined the house is most likely unsound because there has been some shifting of the foundation.

The couple, who left the house on Saturday morning when floodwater had peaked, have been living in a Portage motel since with her 7-year-old daughter.

They've managed to salvage furniture and other goods by moving it to an upper floor, she said.

"We're not moving back in until they build us a new home," Moss said of the couple's insurance coverage.

The Lake Station couple are not alone in their dilemma, said Gordon Johnson, director of American Red Cross of Northwest Indiana.

He said the American Red Cross, which did an assessment of the storm damage over the weekend, has determined that 1,927 homes throughout Northwest Indiana have been damaged to some extent.

Of that total, 30 have been destroyed, 120 suffered major structural damage and 1,680 received minor damage.

"Most severely impacted were those people living in Dyer, Gary and Lake Station," he said.

Johnson said he's uncertain of how many residents have still not moved back into their homes.

He said the emergency shelter opened Monday by the Red Cross at the Boys & Girls Club of Northwest Indiana, 4700 Central Ave., remains open for those needing a place to stay, food, water or cleanup supplies.

City Council President Keith Soderquist on Wednesday was distributing informational fliers and cleanup kits to residents hardest hit by the storm. Soderquist was uncertain if the area would qualify for state or federal disaster declarations based on the amount of damage.

Although 35 homes in the southwestern corner of the city remained without gas and electric earlier in the day those numbers were dwindling, he said.

City crews earlier in the day were spraying a bleach disinfectant throughout the area to wash away some of the smell, he said.

Additionally, city crews also were scheduled to spray for mosquitoes, he said.