Nepal, Sept. 6 -- When news came on July 8, 2025, that a flood had swept down the Lhende Khola above the Rasuwagadhi border crossing, 11 people had been killed, and 19 were missing. The Syafrubesi-Timure road had been cut off and communications with the area had been disrupted, leaving the full extent of the damage unclear.

At Kantipur's newsroom, a discussion began about sending a reporter to assess the situation first-hand. I was at Singha Durbar working on another story when Swarup Acharya, then chief of the district bureau, called and asked me to come to the office immediately. A few minutes later, editor-in-chief Umesh Chauhan told me I had to go to Rasuwa. I had not left home that morning prepared for a long reporting trip.

I wore...