Invisible Wounds

In the aftermath of unprecedented Bhotekoshi flash flood that has killed more than a thousand and left more than 5 thousand people unaccounted for, much of the attention is focused on what was visibly destroyed: homes swept away, roads buried under mud, businesses ruined, and lives lost. Yet some of the most devastating consequences cannot be measured in damaged infrastructure or casualty figures. For many survivors, the flood did not merely take lives, homes, and livelihoods. It also swept away the neighbours, relatives, and communities they would normally rely on to cope with loss. When the very sources of comfort and connection disappear, recovery becomes far more than a physical challenge. It becomes a psychological one.