Brave Citizen Lifts Manhole During Heavy Rain

On the 13th, when Incheon experienced record-breaking rainfall, a courageous act by a father in his 30s caught attention as he lifted a manhole cover in a flooded road to prevent further chaos.

Kim Dong-hee (31), residing in Galsan-dong, Bupyeong-gu, Incheon, took immediate action around 12:07 PM when water began to flood into his apartment due to the drainage system backing up.

At that time, Kim's household included his two-year-old and a newborn who had just turned 100 days old, along with his wife. In this urgent situation, the instinct of a father kicked in to protect his family.

Father's Instinct to Protect His Family

With the heavy rain causing an influx of emergency calls to 119 and local municipalities, immediate assistance was hard to anticipate.

Thinking, "I can't just sit still," Kim purchased pink rubber gloves from a convenience store and headed to the road near Galsan Station armed with a broom he had at home.

Citizen's Ingenuity and Courage to Resolve the Flood

Kim first cleared the sediment piled up in the roadside drainage with the broom and his hands. However, the water already on the road did not drain easily.

Therefore, wearing the rubber gloves, Kim boldly entered the middle of the road and directly lifted the manhole cover.

Utilizing a map application to pinpoint the exact locations, Kim lifted a total of four manhole covers.

As a result, about 30 minutes later, the water that had pooled in the area successfully drained away. This entire process was captured on CCTV and became a major topic online.

According to reports from News1, Kim expressed humbly, "Thinking about my two sons and my wife at home made my body move first," and added, "If my small action prevented the flooding from getting worse, that is enough for me."

Image source: News1