A school principal in Nepal's Nuwakot district acted within minutes after receiving a warning about rapidly rising floodwaters, helping save 1,643 children from a potentially deadly flash flood. Rajendra Dawadi, 47, the principal and an English teacher at Tribhuvan Trishuli Secondary School in the Trishuli Valley, was at the school when he received an urgent call warning that a massive flood was moving towards the area.

At around 9:20 am on Wednesday, a friend called Dawadi and told him that a nearby village had been swept away by the river. According to The Times, the caller urged him to run. Dawadi initially believed the school was in a relatively safe position because the three-storey concrete building stood around 60 metres above the river. However, the warning soon appeared more serious when a parent arrived at the school and told him that the water level was rising rapidly.

Dawadi immediately decided there was no time to wait for further confirmation. He rang the school's bell and instructed teachers to remove the children from their classrooms and evacuate the building. His quick response allowed staff to begin moving students away from the immediate danger zone while the situation outside continued to deteriorate. The principal also recognised that children travelling to school could be at risk and took steps to prevent them from entering the affected area. He contacted the school's bus drivers and instructed them to turn their vehicles around rather than continue towards the school.

The decision was particularly important because the floodwaters were rapidly changing conditions around roads and bridges. One school bus, however, could not be reached in time and was already crossing a bridge when Dawadi attempted to contact its driver. The incident highlighted how little time was available for people to respond once the flood began moving through the area.

Dawadi's warning and evacuation efforts ultimately helped protect 1,643 children from the flash floods. The principal's decision to act despite initially believing that the school itself was safe proved crucial. His response demonstrated the importance of acting on credible warnings during rapidly developing natural disasters, when waiting for complete certainty can leave little opportunity for evacuation.

The episode also illustrates the risks faced by communities located along Nepal's mountain rivers. The Trishuli Valley is home to settlements, roads, bridges and schools situated near waterways that can rise quickly during extreme weather and other sudden events. In such circumstances, early information from residents or local contacts can provide a critical window for communities to move to safer locations.

Also Read: Nepal Flash Flood Survivor Recalls Being Swept Through Debris, Fearing Each Fall Could Be Fatal

For Dawadi, the decision came down to responding quickly to information that initially appeared difficult to reconcile with the school's seemingly secure position. The building's elevation gave him some reason to believe that students were protected, but the warning from his friend and the subsequent report from a parent changed his assessment. Rather than waiting for the floodwaters to reach the school, he chose to evacuate the children immediately.

The evacuation also required coordination among teachers, school staff and transport workers. Ringing the school bell ensured that the warning reached classrooms quickly, while contacting bus drivers addressed the danger faced by students who had not yet arrived. Although one bus was already on a bridge, the effort to turn back the others helped prevent more children from being exposed to the rapidly worsening conditions.

Dawadi's actions have since emerged as a striking example of how fast decision-making can save lives during a sudden disaster. The warning he received gave the school only a limited amount of time to respond, but he used that window to move students out of danger. The evacuation of 1,643 children underscores the potentially enormous impact of one person's judgment when an emergency develops with little warning.

The incident serves as a reminder that early-warning systems are only effective when warnings are acted upon quickly. For the students and families connected to Tribhuvan Trishuli Secondary School, Dawadi's decision to sound the alarm and begin an immediate evacuation provided vital protection as floodwaters approached Nuwakot. His actions turned a potentially catastrophic situation into a mass rescue, with 1,643 children moved away from the immediate threat.

Also Read: Nepal Police Detain Two Men for Stealing Jewelry from Deceased Flood Victim