This principal in Nepal evacuated 900 students before flooding swept away their school

BIDUR, Nepal — Rajendra Dawadi, the principal, was in his classroom when a colleague approached him with a dire warning. The floodwaters in Nepal’s Trishuli Valley were surging, uprooting homes, bridges, and entire communities. A phone call further confirmed the threat. Dawadi’s wife and child fled the scene at that moment. Despite the uncertainty, the principal knew they had to act swiftly.

He rang the school bell and directed students and staff to evacuate towards higher ground. "I immediately decided to stop ... school and get the children out," Dawadi recounted to The Associated Press. As he guided them to a safer hillside, the waters began to rise menacingly behind him. From the hill, he watched in horror as his former school was swallowed by the torrent of water, mud, boulders, and debris.

Tragically, two staff members were unable to escape and remain missing. Dawadi’s quick thinking and decisive action saved the lives of at least 900 students from the catastrophic flash floods that struck the region last week, triggered by a glacial collapse.