Families and experts in Nepal have told of the devastating flood that killed over 900 and the little-known cultural phenomenon that may have saved even more lives from being lost.

According to those on the ground, while the waters surged through villages and left over 4,200 missing around the border between Nepal and China, some families had advanced warning of the imminent disaster.

“In Nepal, people-to-people information sharing is quite good and also a unique phenomenon,” Dr Basanta Raj Adhikari, the director of the Centre for Disaster Studies at the Institute of Engineering at Tribhuvan University in Kirtipur, Kathmandu, told The Diplomat.

According to Adhikari, in times of an environmental disaster such as an earthquake, landslide, or flood such as the one witnessed on August 26, news travels fast, with villages higher up in the mountains quickly passing information to those in the lower lands, and warning residents that danger is on the way.

“People upstream give information to those lower down so that they can save themselves,” Basanta said.

This informal method of sounding the alarm appears to have worked for some families along the Trishuli River where the flood waters arose. These included Rita Tamang, who lives in Daring, Gajuri, along the Prithvi Highway which sits beside the waterway.

“Before the flood came, we had moved a little higher up from our house, but we still witnessed the flood very clearly. It was absolutely terrifying. The flood was not just carrying a huge amount of water; it was also sweeping away all kinds of things, causing massive destruction. Our house was also badly damaged, with almost half of it destroyed,” the 34-year-old housewife told The Diplomat.

“We knew about the flood coming from Rasuwagadhi about two to four hours beforehand. But we had never seen a flood this severe and terrifying before. In fact, we had never witnessed anything like this in our lives.”

Tamang said that the flood completely washed away three concrete bridges that vehicles used to cross the river, and destroyed a key suspension bridge in the area.

It was Tamang’s brother, 32-year-old Bikram Tamang, who helped to save her life.

Bikram Tamang said that he had been at the China-Nepal border working as a truck driver and transporting goods from the border to Kathmandu, Birgunj, Pokhara, and other cities in Nepal.

After delivering the goods, drivers usually return with empty trucks, Tamang said, and Bikram had just dropped off a delivery when he got news of a torrent of water approaching.

“His friends informed him that a dam had apparently burst and that a massive flood had come. They told everyone to stay safe and not to go near the riverbank,” she said. “From there, my brother directly called us at home, and that is how we came to know about the flood.”

It is thought that the Nepal flood wave was caused by a glacial collapse after a large chunk of ice from a glacier broke off and fell into a river. This ice then melted, mixing with river water and debris, before gushing through mountain gulleys and destroying villages, towns, bridges, roads, and homes.

As a result of the advanced warning from her younger sibling, Tamang and her family were able to scramble to higher ground.

Both Basanta and Tamang said that, in times of disaster, word-of-mouth was often faster than official warnings, although Tamang explained that both Ncell and Namaste, two major telecommunications networks in Nepal, had managed to send alerts to their subscribers that a major flood had occurred.

The alerts also advised residents to evacuate areas along the Trishuli River.

However, both Basanta and Tamang said that time was of the essence when a disaster occurred as both internet and phone signals were disrupted once power lines were destroyed.

Basanta added that the risk of secondary flooding from lakes swelling upstream and bursting was an ongoing threat, and that it would be a consideration for search and rescue teams looking for survivors and the deceased. However, the information and people-to-people sharing that was used when the first flood happened would likely be harnessed again by those working in the area.

“The Nepal government is aware of the risks and is working closely to get information from those upstream to those lower down,” Dr Basanta said.

He explained that there would be a similar chain of information sharing by the local authorities, using other devices such as satellite phones or walkie-talkies, that would allow those working on higher ground to warn if more floods were coming, in the event that normal phone lines and internet were still disrupted.

Following the first wave, the fear that more floods would follow came to fruition for Tamang, who said that many families were choosing to sleep outside their homes in case rising waters caused buildings to wash away completely.

“On Sunday, the flood came again at around five in the morning and, on Saturday, a very large flood came from the stream near our village which forced many families to leave their homes,” she said.

She added that they were safe for now but that, with every new wave of water, the family had to move to higher ground and wait for it to subside before returning to their partially damaged home.

“People are in a very difficult situation. Most of their belongings are outside and they have nowhere safe to stay. There are children, elderly people, parents, and people with disabilities among them.”

And while Tamang’s brother Bikram was initially able to make contact and urge his family to seek shelter, communication has now completely ceased, even though internet and phone connections have been restored in her area.

“As far as we know, he was in contact with his family until he had loaded his vehicle inside the Chinese border area and was about to leave. There has been no information about his whereabouts or condition,” Tamang said.

“We don’t know whether he is alive, safe, or what has happened to him. We have tried repeatedly to contact him, but his mobile phone is completely unreachable.”