Nepal, Sept. 3 -- Hearts across the globe are aching for communities along the Nepal-Tibet border.

Last Wednesday, a catastrophic flash flood ripped apart whole villages and swept away dozens of vital bridges and roads. It has claimed the lives of more than 1000 people, as authorities race to find thousands more who are unaccounted for and free hundreds of trapped hydropower tunnel workers.

In the wake of the flood, the world has rallied to support ongoing rescue and humanitarian efforts. But as with any disaster, shifting from rescue to recovery will be far from straightforward. Soniya, co-author of this article and a Nepali national, experienced this firsthand while providing humanitarian assistance to communities rocked by the deadly...