As the death toll across the Nepal-Tibet border region has climbed into the hundreds, a story has cut through the grief. A principal protected 1,643 from being swept away by the flood.
School resumed like a normal day on Wednesday, August 26, as children in uniforms arrived at Tribhuvan Trishuli Secondary School.
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The Warning Call to Rajendra Dadabi
Around 9:20am, 47-year-old Rajendra Dadabi, the school principal, received a call warning him that the floodwaters were fast approaching the school.
The Times records that about 900 students were in school at the time and about 700 were still on their way by foot and on the school buses.
On the call, his friend, Betrawati, who was about five miles away upstream told him that the flood had swept away the village. He also added that was moving towards the school.
Not long after, a parent arrived at the school and warned that the waters were rising quickly. That was his second cue as he rang the bell, instructing the teacher to evacuate the classrooms.
Dabadi Stopped School Buses from Coming to the School
Dadabi managed to call all the bus drivers, who were carrying up to 80 children each. He asked them to turn back from wherever they were. One of the buses was able to reach the other side of the bridge. Soon after, the bridge was destroyed by the floodwaters.
At this time the waters had already made their way into the school compound. However, the 1,643 children were sent uphill on foot and eventually took shelter under a bodhi tree.
The school which was located at the foothills of the Himalayas, where the Trishuli River usually flows steadily through Nuwakot, was swept away by the floodwaters.
The school students were safe on the hill, however, two teachers were swept away. Santos Pariyar, a 32-year-old social history teacher, had gone back to his riverside room to cook breakfast. Janitor Sultan Lama had returned to close the school doors.
Rajendra Dadabi’s actions during the Nepal flood helped ensure that 1,643 children escaped.
The Nepal-Tibet flash flood tore through the north of Nepal on August 26. It has left the world devastated as up to 760 persons have been killed. According to The Times, nearly 3000 have been reported missing.
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