NORWICH – While heavy snowfall and the subsequent rain which melted it off in early March caused little in the way of actual damage to the city as a whole, Made in Chenango, 20 South Broad St., was devastated by the melt-off, according to Director Donna Pedini.

Since March 11, the store has remained closed, as the shop prepares to move to its new location at 25-27 North Broad Street.

Made in Chenango Operations Manager Kathy Coates said she was closing up the shop on March 11 when she heard water dripping and discovered several leaks in the ceiling. Putting out some containers to collect the minor nuisance, she thought the problem was taken care of at that point. When she returned with her husband several hours later, she found a disaster.

“I came back that evening and the water was just coming down, from even more areas,” said Coates, who immediately began moving artwork and displays into the store’s front room, which was still free of leaks.

As the evening progressed, Coates said the damage got worse and worse, and when the ceiling tiles began to fall, the gushing water only increased.

“There’s really no way to put it into words,” she added. “At that point, there was nothing we could do to save the store.”

Since then, Pedini and Coates have taken to calling the small room “Noah’s Ark.”