"When I left yesterday, it was a little over my ankles," says Suzette Parks, who lives in Watseka.  "Now, this is the first  I heard I have 2 feet of water in my house."

It's a tough realization. 

"I had to leave my two cats," says Parks,  "It's a 2 story house. I'm hoping they stay upstairs."

Parks hopes her pets survive in the house she and her husband had to abandon.

"If it was snow we could move it," says John Parks. "Water, we can't deal with."
 
Some are trying to deal with it.

"They feel if they stay there it's better than going ot a shelter," says Fire Chief Dave Mayotte.  "If they have food and water for a few days, they're okay."
 
Emergency crews have rescued over 550 people and 75 pets.  They have been going door to door checking on families choosing to stick it out. 

"According to state law, we can't force anyone from their homes unless it's a hazmat ," says Chief Mayotte.  "Then we can."

Crews say the water may not be hazardous, but it is dangerous and destructive. Something the Parks family and hundreds of others know all too well.

"So I got to start over again," says John Parks. "I got to start at the bottom and work my way back up."
 
Emergency crews will be checking in with families that stayed in case they change their minds.