Authorities in Ho Chi Minh City have been trying their utmost to cope with heavy damage following a record downpour brought about by Storm Usagi on Sunday.

The southern Vietnamese metropolis was struck by a historic rain, which broke records in terms of duration and volume, according to a local weather pundit.

Rainfall in Tan Binh District exceeded 407 millimeters, followed by Nha Be District with 345 millimeters. Rain volume in the downtown area was recorded at 301 millimeters.  

As severe inundation affected multiple residential areas and electrical substations across the city, the Ho Chi Minh City Power Company had to task more than 2,000 employees with applying around-the-clock measures to prevent accidents.

A parking basement in Binh Thanh District was submerged on November 26, 2018. Photo: Tuoi Tre

The firm also cut off power supply in many neighborhoods on Sunday night, said Nguyen Van Thanh, deputy general director of the power company.

Power supply was back to normal in most of the affected areas at 6:30 am on Monday, Thanh continued.

In the Binh Phu area in District 6, about 2,000 households did not have access to electricity until 4:00 pm on the same day due to extremely serious flooding, he added.

Meanwhile, about 700 people and hundreds of specialized devices were mobilized to mitigate floods on city streets, said Bui Van Truong, an official of the Urban Drainage Company.

Firefighting officers work to ‘rescue’ a flooded parking basement. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Many areas in the southern hub were still submerged as of Monday in the aftermath of the downpours accompanied by rising tide.

Such streets as Huynh Tan Phat in District 7, Quoc Huong in District 2, Phan Van Hon in District 12, and Ba Trieu and Ly Thuong Kiet in Hoc Mon District suffered the most serious inundation. 

The drainage firm also assigned many of its units to help reverse the situation in the flooded parking basements of local apartment buildings.

Motorbike repair stores were filled with customers after floodwater damaged their vehicles’ engines.

Competent authorities deal with an uprooted tree in District 1. Photo: Tuoi Tre

The municipal firefighting department has been busy answering more than 1,000 calls for help from local residents regarding their inundated homes and broken trees.

Nguyen Tri Dung, director of the Preventive Medicine Center under the municipal Department of Health, on Monday requested district-level medical centers to monitor environmental quality and take necessary measures to prevent an epidemic following the storm.

Downpours and gusts were triggered by Storm Usagi, the ninth to his Vietnam this year, on the weekend.

The storm weakened into a tropical depression after approaching the mainland on Sunday afternoon, but havoc remained in the affected localities.

A motorbike repair store is filled with customers. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Employees of the Urban Drainage Company dredge a manhole to mitigate inundation. Photo: Tuoi Tre

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