A green\turquoise-coloured house in Trishuli Bazaar, Nepal survived the mighty inland Tsunami – when the rest of the whole area on both side of the river were swept away, obliretated and sunk beneath metres of mud. There were people in the house when it was struck, all of them survived! It looks battered and badly beaten up, but there it is still standing tall on its feet, against the mightiest force of mother nature and against all odds. It basically beat the landslide and the floods, both and protected who sheltered inside itself and became a symbol of survival!
Just how? A miracle, luck or a simple proper Civil engineering? May be a mix?
Some suggested that the house’s reinforced-concrete frame and steel reinforcement may have played an important role. The structure reportedly had a continuous framework connecting its columns, beams and foundation, allowing it to withstand powerful sideways forces from the flood and debris. There you go, a worthy lesson in construction!
Its position may also have helped. The house was reportedly slightly away from the deepest part of the debris-flow channel and on comparatively higher ground, allowing some of the strongest flow to pass around rather than directly through it.
Some people have described it online as a miracle or divine protection, while others have credited the building’s engineering and its location. There might have been other similarly built houses that got hit by the floods, but only this one managed to stand.
Whatever the reason—engineering, location, luck, or a divine intervention—the image of the lone green house surrounded by devastation has captured attention around the world.
For the family who lived through it, however, there is no debate about how it felt. They probably believed they were facing death. Instead, they walked away with definitely a new life.
Ravi Tandukar 