Odesa overwhelmed by two months of rain in hours: floods kill nine, rescue efforts ongoing

Rainfall in hours, devastation overnight

Odesa, Ukraine, woke on Wednesday to a city underwater. In just seven hours, nearly two months of rain fell, overwhelming drainage systems and turning roads into rivers. Buses stalled mid-route, cars floated with their engines dead, and families climbed onto rooftops waiting for help.

At least nine people, including a child, have been confirmed dead. Emergency services reported rescuing 362 people, some carried through waist-high water, others pulled from trapped vehicles.

A 49-year-old resident stood in his flooded living room. “Water is flowing into my living room. I have never seen anything like this before," he said, staring at furniture half-submerged in the brown surge.

A city under strain

Mayor Gennadiy Trukhanov admitted no infrastructure could have withstood such a deluge.

Gennadiy Trukhanov: “In seven hours, Odesa received almost a two-month norm of rainfall. No storm sewer system can withstand such a load."

Still, he insisted the situation was “under control," with crews working nonstop, pumping out water, clearing streets, and moving residents to safety.

Thunder and lightning carried through the night as rescuers battled conditions. State weather officials measured more than 300 millimeters of rainfall in parts of the city, warning that the threat of landslides and flash flooding remained high.

Life disrupted

Flights were cancelled at Odesa’s airport. Trains to and from the capital were halted. Schools closed as classrooms filled with floodwater.

In Nghe An province, whole villages were cut off, roofs barely visible above the rising waterline. One woman sobbed as she pointed at her ruined house. “All of my belongings have been damaged, all gone," said Ngo Thi Loan, whose home now sat in half a meter of floodwater.

Electricity blackouts spread across central regions. More than 135,000 homes have been damaged since Bualoi’s landfall, many with roofs ripped away by winds before the rain set in.

Storm’s toll and wider backdrop

Typhoon Bualoi, which battered the Philippines before sweeping into Vietnam and now Ukraine, has already killed dozens across Asia. In Odesa alone, more than 105 people were injured.

The storm’s arrival comes against the backdrop of war. While Odesa struggled with floods, Kherson reported one death from a Russian attack. Overnight shelling in Kharkiv injured six, including a policeman, and sparked multiple fires.

What lies ahead

Forecasters warn that more rain is on the way. “Work continues without a break — both day and night," the mayor wrote, as crews dug through debris and carried children from stranded buses.

The city remains restless. Sirens from rescue boats echo through flooded districts. Families huddle in shelters, their homes lost to the water.

The storm has moved on, weakening as it crossed into Laos. But Odesa is still counting its losses.