'The flood is coming': How a Nepal principal saved 900 students

Rajendra Dawadi, the principal of Trishuli Bazaar Secondary School in Nepal, saved approximately 900 students from a devastating flood last week. A colleague alerted Dawadi about the impending disaster, and he immediately ordered an evacuation. Teachers swiftly guided the students to higher ground, just minutes before the school itself was engulfed by the rushing torrent.

Dawadi recalled the decision-making process: "If the information was wrong, we would lose a day of schooling. But if it was true, we were going to lose our lives."

The students were visibly panicked, and one girl even fainted during the evacuation. Despite the turmoil, the timely evacuation proved to be a lifesaving measure. A week after the disaster, Dawadi described himself as a principal without a school, standing above the devastated river banks in the Nuwakot district. The massive glacial and rock collapse along the Nepal-China border resulted in a tragic loss of life, with at least 1,362 people killed and over 5,500 still missing across the two countries.

Five students and a teacher died outside the school, while a security staff member succumbed to the floodwaters after leaving the premises.

Dawadi criticized the lack of an evacuation plan from local authorities, stating that some residents attempted to cross the bridge but were swept away. Instead, many sought refuge on higher ground. Reflecting on the disaster, Dawadi recalled the sudden collapse of the school, once a familiar structure where he himself had studied: "It's the school where I studied. There was nothing left."

Santoshi Dotel, a 17-year-old student, was in an accounting class when the evacuation order was given. Initially, she found it difficult to grasp the severity of the situation. She tried to cross the river with a friend, only to be thwarted by the washed-out bridge. Panicked, she cried and feared never returning home. Her friend managed to pull her to safety on a hillside as the floodwaters roared below.

It took four days for Santoshi to be reunited with her family via helicopter, as she broke down in tears upon seeing her mother once again.