IOWA CITY - One Iowa City neighborhood hit hard by the flood is trying to recoup and recover. Some homes in the Idyllwild area off Foster Road had four feet of water.

The chipped wall of Piyush Patel's living room shows how high the water got.

"Everywhere the mark is at the same level. 36 inches," said Piyush Patel, flood victim.

Patel had no time to clear the first floor of his condo. Everything that was downstairs is destroyed. In his kitchen he has to struggle to open anything, including the dishwasher.

"It's really hard. You can't even open the door," said Patel.

Once opened, it reveals more of the dirty river water that poured into people's homes. The wood panel on the island in Patel's kitchen is so warped it looks like a curtain is hanging over the edge. Patel thinks he will have to walk away from his first house.

Barbara Tobin wants to stay.

"My new kitchen. I hate for people to see it like this," said Barbara Tobin.

Water only got up about 15 inches in Tobin's home. One more inch and the water would have reached the furniture sitting on cinder blocks. She's one of the lucky ones.

"Now I am trying to pack and salvage what I can," said Barbara Tobin, flood victim.

Whether they had 15 inches of water or four feet, homeowners now need to decide whether they're going to move on or move back in.

There's a homeowners' association meeting Tuesday night at 6 at the Coralville Public Library.