Schererville and Dyer, which reported many street closures and flooded homes in the past few days, are in recovery mode.

In Dyer, the water has receded, the town's failed sanitary lift stations are operational, and Dyer officials are assessing the damage and focusing on cleanup efforts.

An estimated 500 homes were affected, either by flooding, sanitary problems or both, Town Manager Joe Neeb said.

The town will provide large waste receptacles so people can throw out damaged materials. Items too heavy to lift can be left at the end of street, and the town will use equipment to transport them to the bins, he said.

Neeb said the Salvation Army is expected to bring cleanup kits to the town for residents.

In lieu of hosting informational meetings this week, the town may go door to door and hand out literature, with information on who to contact for emergency relief, he said.

The recent flooding was a result of more water than the town has experienced in two decades. Plum Creek crested at 16.72 feet.

"That is the highest recorded number in the past 20 years for water," Neeb said. "When you put it all in perspective, I think our response was pretty good with what we were working with."

Some residents have complained that nearby St. Margaret Mercy Healthcare Centers installed a concrete barrier and pumped water off its property and into Plum Creek.

Neeb said the hospital did essentially what residents were doing -- barricading their property and pumping out water -- just on a larger scale. The hospital was allowed to install the barricade as a temporary emergency measure and already has started to disassemble it, he said.

No town resources were used to help the hospital, he said.

Water continues to recede in Schererville, allowing streets to be reopened and evacuees to return home.

"We're in damage assessment mode right now," Town Manager Bob Volkmann said.

On Tuesday afternoon, only two streets remain closed, one of which was expected to reopen by the end of the night. At the peak of the recent flood, more than 20 Schererville roads were closed.

The town is assessing the conditions of its infrastructure. Inspectors also are going door to door in hard-hit areas, checking on the amount of damage residential and commercial properties sustained, Volkmann said.

Seven homes in the town's Pine Island neighborhood remained without power Tuesday because transformers were submerged, he said.