VMs Respond to Deadly Flash Floods in Northern Nepal
- A flash flood is a sudden, massive surge of water after heavy rainfall, a dam break or rapid snowmelt. It can sweep away vehicles, bridges and entire communities.
- More than 84,000 people have been affected across the disaster zone.
On 26 August, a massive glacial collapse near the Nepal-China border triggered catastrophic flash floods and landslides through northern Nepal. Torrents of water, mud and debris swept down the Bhote Koshi-Trishuli river system, destroying homes, roads and bridges and damaging power, water and communications networks. The districts of Rasuwa, Nuwakot and Dhading were among the hardest hit, with many communities difficult to reach.
By 22 September, one month later, the floods had claimed more than 1,400 lives, left over 5,600 missing and affected an estimated 84,000 people. With roads severed and infrastructure destroyed, rescue teams faced enormous obstacles reaching survivors.
For Nepalese Volunteer Minister Rishiram Gautam, the disaster struck especially close to home. He was helping flood victims in Assam, India, when he learned that Trishuli Bazar, the town where he was born, had been devastated by the flash floods. After taking three separate flights to return to Nepal, followed by a difficult journey through damaged roads and traffic, he completed the final miles on foot.
What Rishiram found was almost unrecognizable. “I could not see my house, my neighbors’ houses, my relatives’ houses, the fields, school, campus, hospital—the entire town market had turned to mud,” he recalled. Despite extensive personal losses, Rishiram turned his attention to helping others. He gathered his team of Nepalese Volunteer Ministers, and they have been working alongside the army, police, scouts and local responders in Nuwakot since.
At a flood shelter in Devighat, VMs distributed food to more than 400 people who had lost their homes. When another flood threatened, they went door to door urging residents to evacuate and used ladders to help a family reach safety.
The VMs also cleared debris and helped families recover personal belongings from damaged homes, and helped businesses and public facilities salvage records and other property.
Rishiram accompanied Nepal’s Foreign Minister, Shisir Khanal, into the disaster area, where Khanal thanked the VM team for its work.
Volunteer Ministers in northern Nepal have helped more than 28,000 people to date. As the task of rebuilding the affected areas is extensive, the team of Nepalese VMs will continue to provide help and succor for many months to come. Your support of the IAS makes this vital work possible.
