‘The house got carried 100 metres away’: some Nepal flood victims had minutes of notice. Others had ‘seconds’
Bhagat Lal, 68, has a son studying in Brisbane. Other relatives are missing, while their house was found washed up on the river. The first thing is the noise – chopper blades cutting through the air as helicopters come and go from the main army response centre, at the entrance to Nepal’s flood zone. Then, there is the smell. A putrid, iodine smell. Blood and bone. The severe heat beating down on…
Some Nepal flood victims received minutes of notice before their homes were carried away by the raging river. Others had only seconds to escape their flooded homes. A 68-year-old man named Bhagat Lal lost his house to the flood waters, which pushed it 100 meters away from his original location. The noise of helicopters and the smell of decaying bodies filled the air as the army responded to the crisis.
On Sunday, the death toll in Nepal and Tibet reached 750, with over 3,000 people still missing. Aid organizations from Australia, including Plan International, have been working to provide relief to the affected areas. However, the aid is reaching some areas faster than others, with those living near the riverbanks receiving warnings of 10-15 minutes, while those further away faced only seconds to get out of harm's way.
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