Donations pour in for residents impacted by recent Berks County flooding
BERKS COUNTY, Pa. (CBS) -- Donations are pouring in after several inches of rain inundated parts of Berks County.
Lynn Wilson is the president of the Antietam Valley Recreation & Community Center where donations were first being dropped off earlier in the week.
"To see everyone come together, I was astounded by the amount of donations that we got," Wilson said.
Now, donations are being collected at the Lower Alsace Volunteer Fire Company.
RELATED: Resource center to open in Berks County to help those impacted by flooding
For Wilson Bruno, his own home flooded over the weekend. He said he's thankful for the donation center.
"When I went down to the basement, it was already going like almost a foot of water," Bruno said.
Volunteers said people that are in need are mostly picking up cleaning supplies, fans and water.
"I know I picked up some water because I needed water and I said to myself, 'I just need to come and bring something in return,'" Bruno said.
Bruno dropped off donations as a way to say thank you.
"I feel like with the way they helped me out, I need to help them out also," Bruno said.
However, he's not the only one helping impacted families.
A multi-agency resource center opened on Thursday at the Exeter Township School District Administration building.
"Folks who were impacted by the flooding can come conveniently interact with people and try to meet their needs in a one-stop kind of way," Berks County Department of Emergency Services Director Brian Gottschall said.
ALSO SEE: Shapiro vows to help Berks County after record-breaking rainfall caused flooding
From the Red Cross to the Department of Transportation, several agencies will be available to assist anyone through Saturday.
Jeffrey Boyle with the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency said these sorts of pop-up centers might become more common as flooding events continue.
"It was a significant rainfall event for Berks County," Boyle said. "We're starting to see more and more of these kinds of events due to climate change and those kinds of impacts."
Bruno also said he knows his community will always step up and be ready to take action.
"We all treat each other like brothers and sisters, and I never expected something like that," Bruno said.
