NORWICH – Representatives from the office of Governor Andrew Cuomo joined city, county and state officials on Thursday to assess the damage at several sites across Chenango County following a series of powerful storms that spawned at least three tornadoes and caused significant flooding.

Following the tour – which included stops at the Red Mill Bridge in Norwich, portions of County Route 21 and Pharsalia – NYS Commissioner for the Department of Transportation Joan McDonald, NYS Regional Coordinator for the Office of Emergency Management Thomas E. McCartney, II, and Assemblyman Clifford Crouch joined Mayor Joe Maiurano, Fire Chief Tracy Chawgo, Police Chief Joseph Angelino, Town of North Norwich Supervisor Richard Decker and Emergency Management Office Director Matt Beckwith in the Emergency Operation Center at the Norwich Police Department to discuss the damage.

According to McDonald, the governor “firmly believes” that state government must be responsible for the communities it serves throughout the state; Albany must get involved and that he was “very concerned with the impact” the tornadoes and flooding have had on the county’s infrastructure.

“We saw some very eye-opening situations when we were out,” said McDonald of the tornado damage in Pharsalia. “That is a new phenomenon for this part of the country.”