Vietnamese people cope with snowstorms and floods in northeastern US

On the evening of January 5, Trinh Tran, 24, of Lowell, Massachusetts, was sore from having never had to clear so much snow before. The city where this student lives is one of the places suffering from the historic snowstorm sweeping the northeastern United States.

"It snowed heavily, continuously from 5am to 7pm, more than 30cm thick, with very strong winds," Trinh toldVnExpress.

She said she and her roommates spent five hours shoveling the snow that had piled up in front of their house twice, in the freezing cold, but it was still not enough. Their landlord had to use a backhoe to help clear the snow that was half way up their car.

Fortunately, Trinh still had electricity, but the cold temperatures had frozen her water pipes. She had to boil water for bathing, and for everything else she had to use ice cold water. Calling a plumber was out of the question, as the same situation was happening in most homes in the area.

The temperature in Lowell is currently -10 degrees Celsius, local schools are closed for the safety of children but businesses are still operating. According to the meteorological agency, tomorrow the temperature will drop to a record low of -23 degrees Celsius.

Trinh has been studying in the US for several years now, but she has never experienced a winter as harsh as this one. She said the northeast region has already suffered two snowstorms and expects several more until the weather warms up in March and April.

Living in Boston, which is being ravaged by historic flooding caused by a snowstorm, Jimmy Luong has also experienced many funny and sad stories.

On the evening of January 4, he stayed at a hotel near the company for convenience and the company paid for his food and accommodation. Jimmy's company has a policy of maximum support for employees in adverse weather conditions. They are paid for taxi fares to get home, allowed to work remotely or supported to rent a hotel to stay overnight to avoid risks when traveling.

Jimmy said the snowstorm hit on high tide, flooding parts of Boston near lakes and rivers, up to his knees in some places. He once stepped in a puddle of ice and his foot was freezing.

"The accidents happened continuously. On Thursday morning, the road I went to work was covered in snow, visibility was only 5 or 6 meters. The cars behind crashed into the back of the car in front," he said. "I was lucky to get to work on time because if I had been a little later, my car would have been floating in the water and snow."

During the snowstorm, Boston authorities advised people to limit going out, and the bus and subway systems also reduced trips and had to temporarily suspend operations when the city flooded.

Weather forecast shows that the temperature here on January 6 will continue to drop, from -15 to -17 degrees Celsius, with strong gusts of wind.

In New York, heavy snowfall and extreme cold forced Ms. Phuong Dao to keep her son home from school to avoid getting sick. Schools and businesses in New York were closed due to the snowstorm on January 4 and reopened yesterday, but almost no parents dared to let their children go outside.

"This year the weather is suddenly much colder than the past 5 years. The temperature has dropped to around -9 degrees Celsius, tomorrow it will only be around -15 degrees Celsius," she said.

Before the storm hit, she went to the market to buy food to stock up, because transporting goods into the city was difficult. The government had to spread salt on the roads to melt the snow, and snow plows were working continuously.

"It's very difficult to clear the snow in front of our house. If a pedestrian falls, we could be sued," Phuong said. "The hardest part is digging the snow to get the car out. In New York, people don't have garages and park their cars on the street, so their cars are often submerged in snow, and when the snow stops falling, it turns to ice. Getting the car is difficult, and parking is no easier because the roads are slippery."

Thousands of flights in the region have been canceled, leaving a group of her friends who came to New York to celebrate the New Year stranded for several days, with no idea when they will be able to return home.

Thao Ly, in Washington, said that the US capital was not heavily affected by the snowstorm, but the weather was still very harsh, with strong winds and cold. For the past two days, elementary schools have kept students home to ensure their health.

Ly still shivers when she thinks back to the 2016 snowstorm. The snow was half her height, she couldn’t go outside for 3 days, and schools were closed for more than a week.

So this year, before the storm, Ly and everyone else went to the supermarket to buy necessities to stock up for about 3 days, of which toilet paper was the most purchased item. Americans were also given free flu shots. These days, Ly limited going out, always focused on keeping her body warm, drinking lots of water and applying lotion to keep her skin from drying out.

"This year the weather is suddenly much colder than the past 5 years. The temperature dropped to -9 degrees Celsius, tomorrow it will only be about -15 degrees Celsius. We stay indoors, use the heater and limit going out," she said.

According toCNNAt least 16 people have died in the northeastern United States due to a snowstorm. The meteorological agency predicts that this weekend, a new cold wave will continue to hit the region with strong winds and record low temperatures.