Nepal Flash Floods: Nuwakot residents return to search for essentials and missing loved ones

PRASHANT ACHARYA

NUWAKOT (Nepal),: Five days after a devastating flood swept through parts of Nuwakot, residents of Bidur-1 are slowly returning to their homes, only to face scenes of destruction, thick layers of debris and the grim task of rebuilding their lives.

Residents have begun clearing mud and debris from their houses and searching for whatever essential belongings may have survived the disaster. Many families, however, have been forced to leave their homes and move to safer locations.

Bidur-1 Ward Chairman Lenin Ranjit said displaced residents have taken shelter in safer areas. While some families have chosen to rent houses, others have moved in with relatives after losing their homes and belongings.

Local businessman Lal Babu said residents of Solay, Kopchey and surrounding villages remain cut off and are urgently in need of food, drinking water and other essential supplies. Although Nepal Army personnel are transporting relief materials by helicopter, locals say the supplies are still far from sufficient to meet the needs of the affected population.

The devastation in the area remains overwhelming. Debris is scattered across residential areas, while a foul smell has begun emerging from the wreckage, adding to concerns among residents.

Near the Army headquarters, photographs and details of people reported missing or dead have been displayed. Villagers are arriving there every day in the hope of finding information about their missing family members and loved ones.

For survivors, the memories of the disaster remain terrifying.

Reema Sharma, a local resident, recalled watching the flood from her window. She said the water appeared to rise above a four-storey building, creating a scene so frightening that residents initially thought another earthquake had struck. Only later did they realize that the terrifying movement was caused by the floodwaters.

As rescue and relief operations continue, Nuwakot's flood-hit communities are now facing a long and difficult road to recovery - with many still waiting for missing family members, essential supplies and a safe place to call home.