A school director in Nepal, Rajendra Dawadi, organized the evacuation of about 900 children during a sudden flood in the Himalayas. By the time he left the school, water was already entering the building, but the students were already safe.
Dawadi said it began when one of the mothers arrived at the school on a motorcycle and reported the flood. “I immediately thought: if the information is wrong, we will just lose one school day; if it is correct, these people could die,” the director said.
Rapid decision amid disaster
Last Wednesday, when Rajendra Dawadi began receiving anxious calls from students’ relatives, the water flow was already moving through the valley. The director had to act immediately.
“We immediately decided to stop classes, sound the school bell, send the school caretaker with a whistle, and move to higher ground,” Dawadi said. Within minutes, parents, teachers, and students began arriving on motorcycles to take the children to safety. Others headed to higher ground on foot.
Rajendra Dawadi also called the bus drivers who were bringing other students to the school and ordered them to stop in a safe place. Another bus managed to reach the school grounds and pick up the students who remained there.
“I ordered the driver of that bus to leave as quickly as possible, as it was a very dangerous place. When I left the school, the water was already inside the building,” Dawadi added.
The flood completely destroyed the school. A riverbed now runs where the school once stood. Rajendra Dawadi’s decision to evacuate students and teachers in just 14 minutes saved their lives.
“We made the right decision at the right time to save human lives,” Rajendra Dawadi emphasized.
This is one of the few positive stories amid the devastating floods in Nepal, which, according to the report, have claimed the lives of more than 1,000 people.
According to: Der Spiegel
