Flash floods hit Sochi, the southern Russian city on the Black Sea that hosted last year's Winter Olympics, on Thursday, submerging large parts of town and cutting out most transportation.
Whole streets turned into rivers, leaving most residents without water, gas, and electricity, Reuters reported.
The dumpsters were the first to go.
Guiderails gave way.
Traffic fell to a standstill.
Rescuers boated through the streets to evacuate vulnerable residents.
Sochi's airport was hit hard.
Trains, too, fell to a halt.
Some people tried to make the most of the inclement weather.
One guy went for a leisurely paddle.
Other people relied on good old Russian ingenuity to get around town.
Sochi isn't the first city in the region to be submerged recently. Earlier this month, flash floods hit the Georgian capital of Tbilisi, prompting an escape by several zoo animals.
For some, the flood brought a wry twist to the Sochi Olympic slogan — "Hot, Cool, Yours!"
Sochi Airport! Hot, cool, yours! https://t.co/5FG1eo0K7b
