SUMAVA RESORTS | Starting their fifth day without power in this small, unincorporated community on the southern banks of Kankakee River, residents were elated to see the light again at about noon Tuesday when power was restored.

About a dozen homes in this North Newton County community had had no electricity, and, in most cases, no telephones since Friday's ice storm.

"We've got power," a jubilant Fred Erb yelled at Studer's Corner Service in Schneider where he works. "We finally got power, just now," he said.

While electricity had been restored to many of the community's residents over the weekend, those living on two streets, Birch and 1162nd, were left in the dark.

"It's been hard, but we had it better than some because we have a gas stove," Jennifer Smith said of the home she shares with Doug McLean and their 3-year-old son Dakota. As soon as the power was restored, McLean began working to thaw pipes that had frozen in the couple's home.

The power may be back on, but another problem may be on the way in the form of flooding.

The National Weather Service issued a flood warning for the Kankakee River at Shelby near Sumava Resorts on the Lake and Newton county line at 11 a.m. Tuesday. The recent bitter cold temperatures generated a significant amount of ice on the Kankakee River. Weather watchers in the area reported a jam in the river causing elevated river levels there.

Residents along the river are being urged to remain on alert for rapidly fluctuating water levels as the ice begins to melt.