Twice Displaced Nepal Flood Survivors Face an Uncertain Future

More than 100 people are sheltering inside a private school building in Nuwakot after the August 26 flash flood destroyed a riverside settlement in neighboring Rasuwa district.

Among those taking refuge are 51 children. Classrooms have been turned into temporary sleeping areas, with desks moved aside to make room for bedding. Families have gathered what belongings they could save, many carrying their remaining possessions in plastic sacks.

For many of the survivors, the disaster has brought back memories of another catastrophe.

The families had already been displaced following Nepal’s devastating 2015 earthquake. Their original homes and hillside communities were considered unsafe, and residents were moved into temporary settlements near the river while they waited for more permanent arrangements.

A decade later, those temporary settlements became vulnerable to another natural disaster.

Families Facing Extraordinary Loss

The human cost of the August 26 flood has been particularly severe for some families.

Among the survivors sheltering in Nuwakot is 45-year-old Lashing Tamang, who was working across the river at a local hydropower project when the water suddenly rose.

Tamang said 86 members of his extended family were either dead or missing, including 10 people from his immediate household.

He carries photographs of his wife and youngest daughter, remembering relatives who disappeared when the flood swept through the settlement.

At a nearby Buddhist monastery in Trishuli, Tamang has been lighting traditional butter lamps for family members who were lost. The destruction of homes and the surrounding land has also made it difficult for some families to recover the remains of relatives and carry out traditional funeral practices.

Another survivor, identified as Bhutam, said his family lost 43 members.

For residents who had spent years seeking permanent relocation after the 2015 earthquake, the latest disaster has raised painful questions about whether temporary solutions left them exposed to another catastrophe.

A Decade of Waiting

The survivors’ accounts point to a long-running struggle over permanent resettlement.

Residents say they were told after the 2015 earthquake that temporary relocation would be followed by more durable housing arrangements. But according to survivors, those arrangements never materialized for their communities.

Cheek Lama, who survived both disasters, described years of efforts to persuade authorities to provide safer permanent land.

Lama said residents repeatedly approached government offices seeking a solution, recalling that they had been told arrangements would be completed within roughly one to one-and-a-half years.

Instead, the temporary settlements remained in place for years.

The latest flooding has therefore created more than an emergency shelter problem. For these families, it has raised the question of where they can safely rebuild and whether they will once again be expected to live in temporary accommodation.

Schools Become Emergency Shelters

The school in Nuwakot is providing an immediate refuge, but it was not designed to function as a long-term evacuation center.

With regular classes expected to resume, camp coordinators and humanitarian workers face pressure to find another location for the displaced families.

Residents say they have not yet received clear information about where they will be moved or what permanent housing options may be available.

That uncertainty is particularly difficult for families who have already spent years waiting for stable accommodation.

The situation also illustrates the challenges that emerge when emergency shelters become the only available option after a disaster. Schools can provide essential space during an immediate crisis, but reopening them creates another deadline for displaced families.

A Wider Displacement Crisis

The Nuwakot shelter is part of a larger humanitarian situation along the Trishuli River corridor.

According to the information presented in the video, temporary evacuation centers and holding facilities across Nuwakot, Dhading and Rasuwa are housing more than 3,600 flood survivors in approximately 37 locations.

Emergency assistance is continuing as authorities assess damaged infrastructure and provide supplies.

But for families who have lost homes and relatives, immediate relief is only the first step.

The more difficult question is what happens after emergency shelters close.

For those displaced twice within a decade, returning to another temporary settlement may offer little sense of security. Yet finding safe land, rebuilding homes and restoring communities will require decisions that go beyond the immediate response to the flood.

The survivors’ stories underscore the long-term consequences of leaving disaster-affected communities in temporary conditions for years.

As Nepal responds to the August 26 flooding, families in Nuwakot and surrounding districts are waiting for more than emergency assistance. They are waiting for a clear path toward somewhere safe to call home again.