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Why Nepal’s Green House Survived the Trishuli River Flood
A huge landslide sent rocks, mud and water into a river in Nepal.
The flood then rushed through nearby communities.
Many homes and vehicles were destroyed.
One light-green house stayed standing while the water moved around it.
Six family members were involved, although one son was away at school.
Five people climbed to the highest part of the house as the water rose.
They were frightened and thought they might not survive.
Rescuers and security personnel eventually reached them.
Reports suggest the house’s reinforced concrete frame and location helped protect it.
A massive landslide near Nepal’s northern border triggered a debris-filled flood on Wednesday morning.
The flood devastated parts of Rasuwa and affected riverside areas of Nuwakot, Dhading and Gorkha.
Nearby homes, vehicles, trees, roads and bridges were swept away, but a 40-year-old light-green house remained standing.
Six family members were caught in the disaster, with five inside the house as floodwaters reached the fourth floor.
The family survived in the building’s highest section for about one to one-and-a-half hours before rescuers arrived.
- Who
- A family of six, including Prakash and his children, was caught in the flood; five family members were inside the house.
- What
- A landslide-triggered flood swept through settlements, while a light-green house survived and sheltered the family until rescue.
- Where
- The flooding affected the Trishuli River area in Nuwakot district, with wider damage in Rasuwa, Dhading and Gorkha.
- When
- The disaster began on a Wednesday morning; the family remained trapped for about one to one-and-a-half hours.
- Why
- A massive landslide carrying snow and rocks fell into the Lhende Khola, producing a powerful flood of water, mud, rocks, trees and debris.
A Remarkable Rescue
Structural Protection
How the house survived
A Remarkable Rescue
Social-media viewers portrayed the house’s survival as a near-miracle because everything around it was swept away.
Structural Protection
Reports examining the building suggested its reinforced concrete frame and steel reinforcement bars helped it resist the flood’s sideways forces.
Meaning of the building’s survival
A Remarkable Rescue
For the family, the house functioned like a temporary lifeboat and gave them time to survive until help arrived.
Structural Protection
The house’s location and construction appear to have been practical factors, although the images remained extraordinary.
Key facts
- House age
- The light-green house was about 40 years old.
- Family involved
- Six family members were caught in the disaster; five were inside the house.
- Flood trigger
- A massive landslide fell into the Lhende Khola.
- Flood contents
- The current carried mud, large rocks, uprooted trees and other debris.
- Highest refuge
- The family moved above the fourth floor to the tallest part of the building.
- Time trapped
- They waited there for approximately one to one-and-a-half hours.
- Likely protection
- Reports pointed to the house’s reinforced concrete frame, steel reinforcement bars and location as possible reasons it survived.
Quotes
Prakash
Resident whose house survived the flood
“When it feels like this could be the last moment of your life, what can you think? I felt that perhaps our lives were about to end.”
thestatesman.com
“The water had reached the fourth floor. After that, we went higher, to the tallest part of the building.”
thestatesman.com
Sources
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