ELKHART — Dozens of volunteers helped bring peace of mind to homeowners in Elkhart County Thursday night. They face the tough job of cleaning up as the water continues to rise.

In the DeCamp Gardens neighborhood, many homeowners watched as water began to recede Thursday, and some people have started to clean up. But homeowners across Elkhart County found out they won't have to do it alone.

When Dwight Gunter looked outside his east Elkhart home Thursday morning, relief hit.

"The water was running from the river through here yesterday," he said, pointing to a spot just outside his home's foundation.

At home after home, hoses drained water from basements and crawl spaces.

Ron Nonnenmacher is one of them. His sump pump failed, and his basement crawl space filled with water. Even so, he feels lucky.

"There's not any water on the living surface and right now it doesn't smell bad. So I feel like we're OK. I'm not happy about it, but I feel we dodged the bullet of a major flood," he said.

And despite Thursday's rain, the water levels started to go down in some places, so many people have elected to stay. But that doesn't mean they're out of the woods yet. The Elkhart River isn't predicted to crest until Saturday.

That's why volunteers from Elkhart County's chapter of the American Red Cross are stepping in to help, armed with food, water and cleaning supplies.

"Just to let them know we're here and if they need us, we're going to help them the best we can," said Sue Calhoun from the Red Cross.

And while some are staying away until the water goes down, there are plenty who stayed in their homes to ride it out, hoping the helping hand from strangers means the worst is now behind them.

There is help available for those who chose to leave their homes, too. The Red Cross shelter on Riverview Avenue remains open around the clock.

Elkhart County's Emergency Management Agency is worried there could be another surge of water here over the weekend before the water is completely gone.