GRIFFITH | Countless residents sidestepped shingles, nails and broken glass Wednesday to move torn and twisted gutters in an effort to pick up pieces of their lives left scattered by Monday's storms that spawned an F2 tornado here.

And for the town's residents, help was there.

Members of Griffith-based Reed's Temple Church of God In Christ set up a food station, providing a barrel of cold bottled water, juice and steaming hot dogs to those in need.

Pastor David A. Reed, whose church at 1300 Broad St. was still without power Wednesday, said he plans to buy 30 gas cards and give them to residents in the area.

The food meant a lot to residents like Robert Ganz, who cleared rubble near his home in the 1700 block of Lafayette Street.

"I've talked to the State Farm adjustors, and they said they would be over here," Ganz said, pointing to his garage, which was awkwardly pinned to the side of his house. "I've taken pictures and videos. Now, I want to get started cleaning this up."

About 20,000 homes and businesses remained without power in Northwest Indiana at 8 p.m. Wednesday. About 13,400 ComEd customers still were without power at 8 p.m. Wednesday in the company's Chicago and south suburb service areas.

A NIPSCO spokesman said some customers might wait until late tonight for electricity. ComEd spokeswoman Pam Anton said the company anticipates having all power restored by Friday's end.

More than 750 ComEd crews are working 16-hour shifts to get the power back on, Anton said, including 171 contractors from out of state who came in to assist with restoration efforts.

State disaster officials said they remained in contact with officials in Northwest Indiana. But the state had yet to receive a request for assistance, said John Erickson, spokesman for the Indiana Department of Homeland Security.

"We're standing ready to help if they need us," he said, adding county officials must determine that disaster response efforts exceed their capabilities before turning to the state.

Lake County Surveyor George Van Til sent a water drainage crew Wednesday to clear downed trees, and the workers were slated to return today. Van Til said Sheriff Rogelio "Roy" Dominguez also planned to send jail work-release inmates to help today.

"The amount of trees down is just beyond belief," Van Til said.

The mood in Griffith is becoming one of acceptance, Town Council President Rick Ryfa said.

"It's starting to set in, what's really happened," he said. "It's very emotional talking to some of these homeowners."

As debris was cleared, a more accurate assessment of damage came to light.

Ryfa said about 300 homes were estimated to have sustained some type of damage. That number was substantially higher than the 80 to 100 homes officials had estimated Tuesday, he said.

The number of homes that sustained more than substantial damage was between 100 and 125, and the number of uninhabitable homes climbed to nearly 20, more than three times the amount officials first thought.

-- Times staff writers Vanessa Renderman and Dan Hinkel contributed to this report.