Amassive stream of water mixed with huge boulders, mud, and uprooted trees was flowing unhindered at a dangerous speed in a remote corner of Nepal.
It had carved its own path, toppling buildings big and small. Amid death and destruction all around, a small family was holding on to life in their green-coloured house. They were surrounded by water on all sides and were huddled on their balcony, hoping that their modest home would survive the constant pounding and that they would live to see another day. In what was nothing short of a miracle, both they and the house survived the flash flood.
The viral video has now triggered a debate on social media about why the structure passed the ultimate test of durability and didn't crumble despite the lateral pressure from the column of water. Several structural engineering experts have also jumped into the discussion, clarifying that it wasn't pure luck that the house didn't collapse when most structures did so within minutes of coming into contact with the wall of water.
Why did the structure survive?
Most homes in the Himalayan valleys of Nepal are constructed using stone masonry without a reinforced concrete frame, explained the X handle Architecture Presentation.
It said that standard house designs can handle vertical weight but will crumble inward when under pressure from lateral forces. This house, however, was different.
The house was built on a reinforced concrete frame.
"Continuous steel rebar tied the columns, beams, and foundation together into a single, rigid skeleton," said an explanatory video on the handle.
When the wall of mud and water hit the house, the reinforced frame absorbed the lateral force and transferred it down to the ground.
Another factor that contributed to the house's survival was that it wasn't directly in the path of the stream of water and debris.
"A debris flow concentrates its heaviest boulders along the deepest central channel. This house sat slightly off that main path on marginally higher ground. Its compact shape allowed the fluid mass to split and flow around both sides, and the deposited mud quickly built a natural ramp that deflected later surges away from the structure," the channel further explained.
Nearly 800 people have died in the Nepal flash floods, and over 3,000 are still missing.
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