In Brief:
- Principal Rajendra Dawadi received an urgent phone call warning that a 50 mph wall of mud and water was sweeping downstream toward the school campus.
- Dawadi immediately sounded the emergency school bell, directed teachers to lead students to higher ground uphill, and instructed incoming school buses to reverse to safety.
- All 1,643 children and faculty reached safety moments before the raging floodwaters breached and swept through the three-story school building.
In an extraordinary act of decisive leadership amidst the devastating flash floods in Nepal's Nuwakot district, Rajendra Dawadi, Principal of Tribhuvan Trishuli Secondary School, saved the lives of 1,643 children on August 26, 2026. Upon receiving a crucial 10-minute advance phone call warning of a 50 mph surge of mud and debris moving down the river valley, Dawadi continuously rang the emergency school bell. He mobilized teachers to execute an immediate uphill evacuation of all students and ordered incoming school buses to turn back. The entire student body and staff reached high ground just minutes before the surge inundated and severely damaged the three-story educational facility.
Source: NDTV
