A small green\turquoise-colored house in Trishuli Bazaar, Nepal has become a symbol of survival after devastating floodwaters tore through the surrounding neighbourhood while the house remained standing. It survived the mightly inland Tsunami – torrents of water, mud, rocks and debris surging through its lower floors as the family sheltered upstairs! There were people in the house when it struck!
Miracle, Luck or Engineering? May be a mix?
Some people have described it online as a miracle or divine protection, while others have credited the building’s engineering and its location.
An analysis shared by Architecture Presentation suggests 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.
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.
Whatever the reason—engineering, location, luck, or what some people called it 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 