Principal’s Quick Decision Saves 900 Children From Nepal Flood

A principal’s quick decision saved 900 students from Nepal’s devastating floods, according to reports from foreign media.

Rajendra Dawadi, principal of Tribhuvan Trishuli Secondary School in Nuwakot, learned through phone messages that a powerful surge was moving down the valley. He quickly evacuated the students and teachers without causing panic, taking them to higher ground.

The school has 1,600 students, 900 of whom were on campus when the flood struck on Aug. 26. Within minutes of the evacuation, floodwaters swept away a dormitory building about 100 meters from the school.

The flooding followed a glacial landslide that sent a huge volume of water through Nepal and Tibet. Homes, buildings and bridges along the river were destroyed. Save the Children said 69 schools were destroyed and the education of more than 19,000 students was disrupted.

By Aug. 30, the death toll in Nepal had risen to 781, while about 2,500 people remained missing. The missing and dead included foreign tourists. Nepal’s government said it had no information about 2,502 people, including 592 foreigners, while the army said it had rescued more than 3,700 people affected by the floods.