A Mrs Mop has been hailed a hero after single-handedly taking on a massive city-wide flood armed with nothing more than a broom and apron.
The unnamed woman – filmed in Tuapse, Krasnodar Krai, western Russia – became a social media star after footage of her one-woman rescue emerged online.
Floods had swept through the city after torrential rains overwhelmed blocked drains.
But when locals called for help from Town Hall emergency workers, none of them responded, say social media users.
And the only person who seemed to turn up was a traditional Mrs Mop with just a pinny and a broom to take on thousands of litres of flood water.
In the footage – recorded from a balcony – she is seen repeatedly jamming her broom into the water to try to clear a blocked drain.
As she stands thigh-deep in the water, she refuses to give up against what seem to be overwhelming odds.
The person who filmed her can be heard saying: “A woman with a mop is the saviour of our city. You need to know the heroes.”
He added: “And no Ministry of Emergencies, nothing. The mop is our everything.”
Netizens praised the woman’s attitude and efforts.
‘Andrey’ said: “The authorities spend millions. And then, only one coped.”
‘Mrs’ commented: “The woman resolves the situation – the man takes pictures and comments from a safe distance.”
And ‘Alexkubana’ claimed: “As usual – one does the business, the others watch on.”
Then ‘Anastasia’ quipped: “Plunger to help!”
‘Mihaylov’ argued: “Let her be nominated for deputies, I will vote for her. A woman of action.”
‘Romanova Natalia’ said: “Guys, do you see that? Well done, woman!”
‘Denis’ joked: “Why did you blame the man? He doesn’t have a mop, how can he help?”
‘Peace’ concluded: “In one video, the Russia mother!”
The video got more than 800,000 views within 24 hours after being uploaded on Russian social media on 12th July.
Krasnodar Territory Governor Veniamin Kondratiev said an operational headquarters had now been set up to help flood-hit families.
The regional commission for emergency situations is due to hold a meeting shortly, say local media say.