Onlykashmir.in News Desk
In a remarkable story of courage and quick thinking from flood hit Nepal, a headteacher in Nuwakot evacuated nearly 900 children from his school just moments before a deadly wall of water struck the area. Rajendra Dawadi, headteacher of Tribhuvan Trishuli Secondary School, acted swiftly after receiving four separate warnings about the approaching floodwaters, a decision he later said may have prevented hundreds of deaths.
Dawadi recalled how the situation unfolded while he was inside a classroom, when warnings began coming in that floodwaters were approaching the school. Colleagues, staff members and parents also called in quick succession, reporting that the situation was rapidly worsening outside. Faced with uncertainty over whether the warnings would prove accurate, Dawadi reasoned that if the alert turned out to be false, the school would lose only a single day of classes, but if it was true, lives could be lost. Weighing that calculation, he immediately ordered the school bell to be rung and instructed staff to evacuate every student, emptying the school as quickly as possible.
His decisive action extended beyond the school gates. When a bus carrying students arrived at the school after the evacuation had already begun, Dawadi immediately told the driver to turn back rather than let the children disembark. The driver collected the students and returned without delay, and soon afterward two bridges along that same route were destroyed by the floods, though the students had already crossed safely moments earlier.
Dawadi himself was later airlifted to safety as the flooding intensified. Speaking emotionally about the experience, he said leaving the school had been extremely difficult given his deep personal connection to the institution, having been both a student and later a teacher there over the years. The school also carries a significant link to India: its three storey, eighteen room building was constructed with support from the Indian Embassy following the earthquake that struck Nepal previously, while India separately donated a school bus that has served the institution since. Dawadi expressed hope that similar support might again be extended to help rebuild the school following the latest disaster.
For Dawadi, however, the most important outcome remained straightforward: ensuring that around 900 students made it to safety before the floodwaters reached the school, a decision made in a matter of minutes that ultimately spared the community from what could have been a far greater tragedy.
