The turquoise home that withstood a torrent

As floodwaters tore through Trishuli in Nepal’s Nuwakot district, a turquoise riverside home remained standing while much of the surrounding valley disappeared within minutes.

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We ran back as fast as we could because my mother-in-law and my daughter were at home.

The Trishuli River rose by as much as nine metres in 30 minutes. Homes folded, bridges collapsed and streets went underwater as ice, rock, mud and debris surged downstream. Lakshmi Pandey said she was at the family shop, about five minutes from home, when she realised the flood was coming. She ran back because her mother-in-law and daughter were inside.

The old bridge broke before the family could escape. Pandey, her husband, daughter, in-laws and a neighbour became trapped in the house, while her son was at school. From the balcony, they watched the flood destroy the ground floor. Water struck the house from both sides, shaking it so violently that Pandey compared the sensation to Nepal’s 2015 earthquake.

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Water was hitting the house from both sides, and the whole house started shaking; it felt just like the huge shaking we experienced during the 2015 Nepal earthquake.

The family feared they would not survive. Pandey said she imagined her son becoming an orphan, while her husband, Prakash Pyakurel, recalled thinking it was the end. They stayed together and chanted God’s name while waiting for help.

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I thought my son would be all alone now, an orphan.

Video showed rescuers reaching the house with a makeshift bridge. Mud covered the walls just below the balcony. Pandey said four neighbours risked their lives to bring everyone out safely.

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Somehow, they managed to get all of us out safely.