In 2015, Kopila Tamang’s family survived the devastating earthquake in Nepal, but their home was destroyed. This time, floods swept away their newly built house and claimed the lives of 17 relatives.
“I feel incredibly lonely,” Tamang told CNN. “I feel lost.”
The 20-year-old girl comes from Rasuwa, one of the hardest-hit regions in Nepal. When the floods struck, she was in Kathmandu and immediately rushed back to the mountainous area.
This merciless flood has taken away her mother, sisters, grandmother, and other relatives, including a one-month-old nephew. Now, all she has left are the photos of her loved ones in her phone.
Tamang said her 7-year-old brother is too young to understand what happened and still believes their mother will come back.
“He is too young,” she said. “He thinks mommy will come back.”
Facing reality, Tamang said she now has to take on the responsibility of being a mother to him.
“Now, I am his mother. So, I have to be strong,” she said.
Her cousin, 17-year-old Subba Tamang, lost his two younger sisters: 1-year-old Anjana and 5-year-old Archana.
“I can’t believe I lost my sisters,” he said. “They were so young to be buried.”
Now, Subba and 50 other displaced men and boys sleep on the roof of an unfinished building in Bidur.
“Many people cry here at night, missing their families,” he said.
In addition to the unbearable grief, these displaced families also live in fear of another flood. Whenever they hear warnings at night, fearing another flood might strike, they often flee to higher ground in the forest.
Nepal police issued a latest update on Sunday, stating that as of 5:45 pm local time, rescue teams had found 794 bodies. The disaster response agency in Nepal said on Sunday that 2,502 people are still missing. The agency also mentioned that nearly 20,000 security personnel have been mobilized for rescue efforts. However, the already difficult search and rescue operations are further complicated by the harsh weather conditions. The weather forecast indicates that the rain will continue at least until Monday.