NORTH NORWICH – Shelters have been set up across the county to provide relief for anyone displaced by the torrential rainfall and record floods this week. The Red Cross has set up three of these shelters, with another three being provided by local communities.

According to Kenneth Austin, a Red Cross volunteer and liaison to the Emergency Operations Center, there are three Red Cross-operated shelters in different locations around the county: DCMO BOCES in North Norwich, Greenlawn Elementary School in Bainbridge and at the Greene Fire Department. There are also community-run shelters at the Oxford High School, Afton Central School and the Episcopal Church in New Berlin.

Audrey Aitken, a Red Cross volunteer at BOCES, said the goal of the shelters is to provide a safe place to rest, showers and food for the people who have been evacuated over the last two days. Blankets and cots were provided by the Red Cross, and food was donated and prepared by staff members at BOCES. Additional cots were provided by the Chenango County Sheriff’s Department.

“The BOCES staff has been really great in terms of lending a helping hand,” said Aitken. “We were just expecting to have dry cereal, but they served up some hot breakfast pizza ... how can you say no?”

Despite the hot meals, Aitken said this is not easy for anyone forced out of their homes by the flooding. A majority of the 13 people who came yesterday were from Norwich; however, there were also a few from Sherburne, she said.

“The officers were very helpful in getting us out,” said Jenny Jenks, who was displaced from her apartment at Marlene Meadows. “They even went back to my apartment to feed my dog and get my oxygen machine.”