A Tale of Survival: Ethel Ruth’s Brush with Disaster in Nepal
August 26 was a day that started like any other for Ethel Ruth Borja Alao Gataraj. Nestled in their Trishuli Bazar apartment in Nepal’s Nuwakot District, Ethel was enjoying a quiet morning with her two children, Earl and baby Gian. The peaceful routine was shattered by an earth-shaking rumble.
Their landlord’s voice cut through the moment—“A dam has burst, and floodwaters are coming!” Panic set in. In those heart-stopping seconds, Ethel gathered her children and clutched them close, desperate to escape the imminent danger. “We didn’t have time to think. We barely finished our meal. All we took were the clothes on our backs,” she shared during a tearful interview with GMA News via Zoom.
Rushing outside, Ethel’s pulse quickened with each step. The scenes around her were alarming. “Just a five-minute walk away, the water had already reached my son’s school. It was dark and filled with rocks, roaring fearfully as it rushed past.”
The storm had only just begun. Unbeknownst to Ethel, a catastrophic flash flood was sweeping through the Bhote Koshi and Trishuli river corridors, triggered by a devastating ice-and-rock avalanche near the Nepal-China border. What started as a distant disaster transformed into a reality that engulfed Ethel and her children.
As they raced toward the Hindu temple perched safely on higher ground, fear gripped Ethel’s heart. “When I looked back, I saw people being swallowed by the flood. Their cries still echo in my mind,” she recalled, her voice trembling with emotion.
Earl, the brave older brother, shouldered his baby brother Gian as they fled. “I could see people running alongside us,” he shared. Amid the chaos, Ethel found herself pushing through the crowd, determined to lead her children to safety. “I was in front, and they were behind me, making a path through the panic-stricken crowd,” she recounted.
When they finally reached the temple, the sight that greeted them was one of sheer devastation. Their once-familiar community was buried beneath mud and debris. Clinging to one another, Ethel and her children, along with other evacuated residents, waited anxiously for the floodwaters to recede.
After days of uncertainty, they finally returned to what remained of their home. “This is where we lived,” Ethel pointed out, tears stinging her eyes. The route they had taken was still vivid in her memory. “We climbed up here, running for our lives.”
It was a fateful morning that Ethel decided to keep Earl home from school. She thinks of how that simple decision saved them from suffering a tragic separation. “He could have been stuck there with so many others—so many lost lives. We could have been among them,” she lamented.
In the aftermath of the flood, Ethel faced a bitter reality. Their possessions were gone—swept away in mere seconds of panic. “Everything was washed away; our life was gone. If we had hesitated just a bit longer…” Her voice trailed off, replaced by gratefulness. “Thank God we’re alive. It’s my first time experiencing something like this—maybe it wasn’t my time to go,” she whispered.
Ethel and her children trekked for hours to reach distant relatives, where they found temporary refuge. Philanthropy surged as other Filipinas in Nepal—many married to Nepalese nationals—opened their homes to her family. Even the Filipino community in Kathmandu rallied, sending help from thousands of miles away.
“The Philippine Embassy in New Delhi reached out with assistance as well,” Ethel said, overwhelmed with gratitude. While she reflected on the love and support she received, her eyes welled with tears thinking of her family back in Rizal Province, anxiously awaiting news of their safety.
“Thank you,” Earl chimed in, a soft smile gracing his face. “We survived.”
“Indeed, this is our second life,” Ethel affirmed, her tone resolute despite the sorrow surrounding them.
Among the 128 Filipinos in Nepal, many share similar stories of resilience and heartache. As the search continues for missing individuals like doctor Juan Carlos Manalo, those who survived are left to rebuild amid uncertainty.
While Ethel may have lost almost everything she owned, she emerged from this catastrophe with a deeper understanding of life. In a world where moments can change everything, she holds onto the greatest treasure of all: her family, together, defying the odds.
In the blink of an eye, they transformed fear into a story of survival, etched in their hearts forever.
