The 'Green House' That Survived the Great Flood Alone... The Owner Reveals the 'Architectural Secret'

The architectural secrets of a house that withstood a massive flood in Nepal—which left about 1,000 people dead and some 5,000 missing—while neighboring homes were swept away are drawing attention.

Foreign media outlets, including The New York Times, recently spotlighted the construction methods of the green house in Nepal's Nuwakot district, calling it a "miracle house" after it survived the massive flood and became a hot topic.

On August 26, the great flood struck the Nuwakot district in Nepal, causing the Trishuli River to overflow and destroying more than 1,200 homes in the area alone.

However, footage shows that while surrounding houses were washed away, a single two-story green house standing right in the middle of the torrent managed to keep its structural integrity.

The family living in the house waited on the balcony for over an hour for rescue as the rushing waters battered their home at the time, and safely escaped using a temporary ladder set up by rescue workers after the water receded.

[Prakash Piakurel / Homeowner: "We called upon the name of God and thought this was the end."]

After the great flood passed, this house was also engulfed in mud and sediment, but its framework itself remained standing without collapsing.

From the second floor up, where the floodwaters did not reach, items such as the washing machine inside and the water tank on the rooftop were confirmed to be completely intact.

The secret to how this house withstood the fierce currents is attributed first to its sturdy construction method.

Homeowner Prakash Piakurel said, "It was built as a single-story house in 1995 and later expanded," adding, "It might have been able to endure because we drilled the building's pillars deep into the bedrock to secure them."

He also explained, "Since the house's location is close to the river, we spent a lot of money to build it sturdy," and "For safety, we laid road construction materials in two or three layers to reinforce the foundation."

Some analysts also suggest that, apart from the construction method, a ridge protruding toward the path of the rushing torrent played a role in protecting the house.

Due to its ongoing fame, the location of this building has recently been registered on Google Maps with the label "House that Endured the Flood."

(Reported by Park Se-won | Video by Kim Min-ji | Graphics by Yang Hye-min | Produced by SBS Digital News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.