‘I was home alone when the glacier collapsed. My mum called and told me to run’ – This is climate breakdown

Isha Remal, a 17-year-old volunteer for the Red Cross Society in Bidur, Nepal, experienced firsthand the terror when a glacier collapsed this summer, causing floods that crashed through the country. The disaster, made more likely by climate change, destroyed many homes and killed some of her friends in the Nuwakot district, two hours from Kathmandu.

Personal Trauma

From her home's roof, Isha used to view the Himalayan mountains as goddesses in a place with what she considered a perfect climate. That perception changed when floodwaters from the collapsed glacier tore down the Trishuli River. 'I thought it was an earthquake at first. The house was shaking. My bed was shaking,' she recalled.

Family Separation

Alone at home while her younger siblings were at school, Isha received a panicked call from her mother instructing her to come to the college where she worked. Running through streets where others were fleeing in the opposite direction, Isha encountered a strange smell but didn't understand the danger. 'I never imagined the threat could come from the river,' she said, noting that locals had never feared the rivers they lived among.

At the college, Isha found her mother crying, worried about their siblings whose school had been affected. With communication lines down and a bridge washed away, the family endured hours of uncertainty until relatives found their sister and eventually discovered their brother had safely reached high ground after hitching a ride with foreigners.

Life-Altering Impact

The disaster has fundamentally changed Isha's life plans. 'Until then I had planned to study in the US and become a neuroscientist. But now I want to stay here, train as a medical doctor and help my people,' she explained. The flood also knocked out two hydropower plants, leaving many areas without electricity or phone service, with rescue helicopters adding to the chaos during sleepless nights.

As Nepal continues to recover from the climate-related disaster, authorities work to assess the full extent of the damage and plan reconstruction efforts in affected communities where infrastructure and homes were destroyed by the unprecedented flooding.