More than 900 students and 16 teachers were able to flee before a devastating flood hit a school near the border of China and Nepal. This successful evacuation was due to a last-minute warning from the school’s accountant, who alerted everyone by running through the building and shouting about the incoming flood. While the students were unaware in their classrooms, this urgent message played a crucial role in keeping them safe.
On the day when a collapsing glacier triggered a flash flood, the headmaster of Tribhuvan Trishuli Secondary School in Bidur learned from the accountant that the flood was approaching. Although some teachers had received worried calls from relatives, the accountant first learned of the disaster from a friend in the town that was hit first. The warning allowed the school just 14 minutes to evacuate before the waters arrived and destroyed the school.
Headmaster Rajendra Dawadi took charge of the situation, coordinating the evacuation as panic spread. He called bus drivers who were on their way to the school, instructing them to turn around and seek higher ground. Parents, teachers, and local residents rushed to transport students using cars, buses, and motorbikes, moving them across a bridge to safety since the school was located on a peninsula along the Trishuli River. According to Reuters, the floodwaters arrived right after the last bus crossed the recently constructed bridge, completely wiping out the school.
What are your thoughts on how quickly the school responded to the evacuation?
Sources:
Source: Good News Network, by Good News Network