‘Nothing Left, Not Even Rs 5’: Nepal Flood Survivors Recount Devastating Losses

Trishuli — Residents of flood-hit areas in Nepal on Monday described scenes of widespread destruction after flash floods swept away homes, businesses and belongings, leaving communities buried under debris.

Several residents said they had received warnings before the floodwaters arrived but did not expect the water to rise high enough to reach their homes and shops.

One resident said he had lived in the area for 40 years and received government alerts on his phone, along with warnings from contacts in China and friends in higher areas.

“We thought our house was far away from the river and that the water would not reach here,” he said. “We never imagined that such a huge amount of water would come and wash away the entire market.”

A grocery shop owner said he was warned about 30 minutes before the flood but initially did not believe the water would rise so high. He estimated losses of between Rs 1 crore and Rs 1.5 crore after his shop and several warehouses were destroyed.

Another businessman, who sold potatoes, onions and food grains, said his family received only a few minutes’ warning before fleeing.

“We have lost everything. I could not even take out Rs 5. Clothes, jewellery, money, everything is gone,” he said.

He said between 20 and 25 tons of goods had been stored in his shop and that additional business premises were also washed away. Medicine he had recently purchased for his child was among the items lost.

Other residents said warnings arrived between 15 and 20 minutes before the flood struck, leaving little time to move possessions to safety.

One local pointed to what remained of the old Dhunge Trishuli Market, which had served residents from surrounding hill villages. He said a nearby hydropower plant and a large shopping area had also been wiped out.

Residents also recalled the dramatic rescue of a person stranded on the roof of a house as fast-moving floodwaters surged around the building.

“The person remained on the roof for a long time, shouting, ‘Help me, help me,’” one resident said, adding that rescuers initially struggled to reach the house because of the powerful current.

Relief and cleanup operations were continuing Monday.

Mabaraj Thapa, a member of a rescue team from Likhu Rural Municipality, said about 250 municipal personnel were working in the affected areas. Teams had begun recovering belongings from damaged homes and clearing debris.

Thapa said the initial response had focused on casualties, but efforts were increasingly shifting toward property recovery and cleanup.

“Words cannot describe what happened,” he said, describing the destruction as overwhelming and the recovery of victims as particularly difficult. (Source: IANS)