PECATONICA (WIFR) - As rivers and creeks throughout the Stateline recede flood impacted communities are beginning the clean-up process. For one local village it's part of their everyday lives.

It's a common noise heard throughout this small river community. Generators and pumps keeping the power on and the water out. Every spring the village of Pecatonica expects high waters from the Pecatonica River.

"It's just the norm around here."

However for residents like Kelli Sager who live right on the river, this flood brought a bit more surprise with it.

"It came up so, so fast. We've never seen it come up so fast. One day, Saturday, there was a couple of puddles and then Sunday it was like this," said Sager.

"Behind me (at Sumner Park) it normally floods 90% of the time. It's just this year it's gone way above and beyond the historic banks of the Pecatonica River," said village president Shawn Connors.

It's not all bad news though. With the flood waters came a flood of help from within. Bruce Lizer's childhood home is one of the lowest buildings in the village, and if it weren't for dozens of volunteers armed with sand, shovels and bags, the house may not have survived.

"I haven't seen the river come up this fast in a long time. And next thing you know the fire department's here and there's 30, 35 dedicated people and we had the sandbags up in two and a half hours," said Lizer.

"It's just nice to see the community come together as a whole. When one person's in need you've got many friends that are willing to come help," said Connors.

So the flood has passed and the village will continue on its usual way, knowing that the water can and will rise again.

Conners told us he had spoken with one Pecatonica resident that has lived there for 88 years, and even the life-long resident said he had never seen the river rise so high or so quickly.

(Chip Brewster is available via email AND facebook... feel free to shoot him a message or friend him at any time)