The Howard University community gathered for communal prayer organized by Howard’s Rankin Chapel and Office of Student Affairs on Aug 27.
Students, faculty and staff responded to a devastating flash flood that had killed more than 389 people across Nepal and Tibet and left 1,500 missing, with a death toll that has continued to rise since.
The disaster, which began Aug. 26 near the Nepal-Tibet border, was triggered by a collapse of glacial ice and rock high in the Himalayas. The resulting torrent of water, mud and debris swept through communities in Nepal’s Rasuwa district and across the border into Tibet, destroying homes, roads, bridges and critical infrastructure.
Sebish Niraula, a sophomore mechanical engineering major from Nepal, said he has been in constant contact with family and friends since the disaster.
“I have been reaching out to them consistently since the floods hit the country,” Niraula said. “I have a friend whose dad has been posted in Nuwakot as a Health Assistant for 10 years now.”
Niraula said his friend’s father, whose government-subsidized housing sits at a higher altitude in the hills of Nuwakot, one of the districts hit hardest by the flooding, has been personally treating and counseling flood victims in need of urgent care.
“Things have been pretty stressful for him too, as the number of people injured and victimized by the floods need urgent care and treatment,” Niraula said.
International relief efforts began almost immediately. India became the first country to physically deliver aid to Nepal, sending 10 metric tons of relief supplies on Aug. 26, including temporary shelters, blankets, hygiene kits and medicines.
By Aug. 30, India had airlifted 68 metric tons of supplies on four flights and sent tunnel-rescue teams and forensic experts to help identify victims. South Korea and Sri Lanka each pledged $1 million, while the World Bank indicated it could provide up to $163 million in emergency support. The United States also expanded its response from an initial $500,000 commitment to more than $3.6 million in assistance, including emergency food aid for as many as 10,000 affected households.
The disaster struck along a river system that connects communities on both sides of the border. In Nepal, the flood traveled through the Lhende Khola, Bhote Koshi and Trishuli river systems, while the Chinese side suffered severe damage around the Gyirong border crossing.
At first, officials and news reports incorrectly attributed the initial seismic activity to an earthquake. Later analysis from the U.S. Geological Survey determined that the signal came from the massive movement of rock and ice associated with the glacial collapse.
“What I can see in satellite imagery from Planet Labs, the lower part of a glacier broke off at about 5,200 metres and crashed onto the valley floor about 1,200 metres below,” said Daniel Shugar, a geomorphologist at the University of Calgary, to The Guardian.
The disaster has also raised concerns about the vulnerability of infrastructure built along mountain rivers. Hydropower facilities were among the structures damaged, and hundreds of workers were reported missing from several projects in the aftermath.
Rescue operations have faced another threat from a newly formed lake created by debris from the collapse. Rising water temporarily forced rescuers to halt operations as officials assessed the possibility of another flood. Teams later resumed their search after determining that the immediate risk had become more manageable.
Niraula said that the broader news coverage in the United States has not captured what survival looks like after a village is gone.
“The news hasn’t been able to justify the lives of a person after their house and their entire village has been swept away,” he said. “How do they eat and wash themselves? What do they wear? The money situation?”
The number of people either dead or lost has continued to grow as rescuers reach areas that were initially inaccessible. Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority said that the death toll in Nepal had risen to 1,341 as of Sept. 6, with roughly 5,000 people unaccounted for on both sides of the border. Nearly 13,104 people were rescued in Nepal.
More than 20,000 homes have been destroyed or rendered uninhabitable in Nepal, while thousands of people have been displaced and remain dependent on emergency assistance.
Around 80 Howard students attended the communal prayer near the flagpole on The Yard offering an opportunity to respond to the tragedy in a way that extended beyond political or geographic boundaries.
The gathering also reflected a broader reality of disasters such as the Nepal-Tibet floods. While the destruction may occur thousands of miles away, its effects can reach communities through family connections, cultural ties and shared concern for those affected.
Copy edited by Sydney Middleton