PATERSON — Regina Saunders watched the water creeping up her street Thursday night but thought there was no chance Mother Nature would strike twice in just a few days.

"I said, ‘nuh uh,’ this is not happening gain,” the Holsman Street resident said.

But this morning the water rushed in from the Passaic River, inundating street signs up and down the block and leaving her home submerged in three feet of water.

Panicked, she yelled for help. A neighbor called the fire department and minutes later, firemen rescued her along with nine others on the block.

The river’s rising waters have wreaked havoc in Paterson, closing roads, schools and bridges; flooding entire neighborhoods in the state’s third most populous city; and, just today, canceling the city’s 9/11 commemorative ceremonies.

Flood-weary residents, though, have been hesitant to leave. Many have just started getting home repairs on track and electricity on-line, only to see the familiar brown water drown out their efforts.

The Passaic will crest about 2 a.m. Saturday morning, according to Passaic County’s office of emergency management. Thursday night, about a dozen people were evacuated from riverside homes. Today rescue efforts continued for those who chose to stay.

The Vargas family sat on their Watson Street front porch this morning sipping on orange soda and snacking on Cheerios.

"We're still here," said Muris Vargas, 48, of herself, her three daughters and her husband. "The car’s packed. We're ready to evacuate if we need to."

Muris wasn't able to get her daughters to school Thursday because of flooding in their neighborhood.

The family agrees it's the lack of electricity that's the most difficult obstacle to endure.

They've been without power since Aug 27, when Hurricane Irene was churning toward Paterson.

"They said, ‘you need a new electric panel,’ so my husband replaced it. We called on Tuesday and they said they were expecting more flooding so no one was getting turned on."

The most recent flooding covered the new electric panel. That one will now need to be replaced.

In the meantime, black plastic bags hold bread, cookies and cereal. A cooler is stocked with drinks and there are plenty of flashlights on hand.

"I've cried so much and stressed so much but we're being strong and hanging in,” she said.

Jim Haggins is an electrical inspector for the city of Paterson. Lately, that makes him one of the most unpopular people in town.

If water reaches a home's electric panel, the owner or landlord has to bring in an electrician for repairs, which then get inspected by the city. The power company is next to be called, Haggins explained.

Many people just got power back at the beginning of the week, only to get it turned off again after the most recent flood.

"We get called every name in the book," he said. "But I understand a lot of people spent a lot of money and now they're out again."

Related Coverage:

• Several N.J. school districts closed due to flooding

• Floods continue to wash over N.J. towns recovering from Hurricane Irene