How a Nepalese principal saved 900 students by ordering an evacuation

Rajendra Dawadi, the principal of Trishuli Bazaar Secondary School in Nepal, saved around 900 students by ordering an evacuation during a flood. Dawadi received an urgent warning from his colleague who said, "The flood is coming, the flood is coming." Without hesitation, Dawadi instructed teachers to guide hundreds of students from classrooms to higher ground.

Minutes later, the school he had managed for years succumbed to the raging torrent. Though Dawadi feared losing a day of schooling if the warning was incorrect, he was prepared to sacrifice the lives of his students if the warning was true. Students were in a state of panic, with one girl fainting. Bus drivers bringing in other students were asked to turn back, including one who had just entered the school grounds.

Dawadi described himself as "a principal without a school" a week after the disaster. The flood, caused by a glacial and rock collapse along the Nepal-China border, killed at least 1,362 people, with over 5,500 missing across the two countries. Five students and a teacher also perished in the flood. Authorities had not provided an evacuation plan, leading some residents to attempt crossing the bridge, which was swept away.

Santoshi Dotel, a 17-year-old student, initially tried to cross the river but was saved by her friend who pulled her up a hillside. Days later, a helicopter reunited her with her family. The disaster was far worse than the 2015 earthquake, as the school was completely destroyed, leaving Dawadi without a school and a place to rebuild.