The mud reached the middle shelf of the shoe racks on the ground floor of the Junior School. The mark left by the mud is clearly visible on the wall on the photograph below. Volunteers are already working hard to clear the mud from the Junior School by hand. More than 200 volunteers were onsite today, 11 August 2010, clearing mud from the classrooms, and rocks and boulders from the courtyards. Class 8 is due to restart on Thursday, 12 August 2010.
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10h00 London time, Tuesday 10th August 2010
All 200 residential children had returned to school after the summer holidays by the time the mudslide struck. Some have since returned to their families for the time being. Those still at the school are still returning to Shey Palace at night as a precautionary measure.
We have no reliable information yet on the day pupils, but school staff will be contacting families to check on their well-being.
All staff are safe, including those living in the hard-hit Choglamsar area. The home of one staff member in Choglamsar is filled with mud to shoulder height.
The clean up and relief work at the school has started with the help of staff, nuns and volunteers. The school Principal, Prasad Eledath, says ‘it is like starting over again’. He aims to restart the school in a phased manner, with class 8 commencing on Thursday, classes 6 and 7 next week, and classes 3-5 in 1-2 weeks. The small children will start at a later date, once it is safe for them to do so.
The school’s solar electrical system had been turned off, and staff were having some difficulties restarting the system.
School staff met this morning to prepare an initial list of short and long term needs to put the school back on its feet. We hope to post a list and initial budget estimate later today.
Annie Smith, who has been involved with the project since 1992, will be leaving London on Sunday 15th August to travel to Ladakh to take donated funds and to help. The school support team in London is working to mobilise medical and disaster relief expertise to help Ladakhis in need.
Your help is urgently needed for the clean up and rebuilding work – Please donate whatever you can now (How to Donate)
Please follow this links for a Slideshow from Reuters India regarding the flash floods in Ladakh
The clip below, from YouTube, is of an Indian TV station news bulletin on the damage caused by mudslide the to the school
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15h00 London time, Sunday 8th August 2010
Phil Cornwell (school’s UK project office) spoke today to Sonam Angdus (Construction Manager), Anokhee Shah (Arup Resident Engineer), and to Regina Ulwer and Pankaj Bansal (volunteers) in Ladakh.
The mudslide flowed over the eastern half of the Druk White Lotus School campus in the early hours of last Friday morning and deposited 1.0-1.5m of mud. The mud entered some of the residential buildings and classrooms to a level about half way up the walls.
All 200 residential children and staff are safe, as are school people living in Shey. Four of the six residential buildings are being used in the daytime by the children, and the residential children return to the safety of Shey Palace, on high ground, at night-time. Some parents have come to take their children home for the time being. We do not yet have reliable information about students and staff living outside Shey.
We are seeking information about two of our volunteers staying in Leh – the other five volunteers are safe.
One residence courtyard, the junior courtyard and the administration courtyard were inundated by mud. Staff and volunteers yesterday managed to recover some files and equipment. The IT room was devastated and all the computers will need to be replaced. The eastern site boundary wall was destroyed, as was the wall in front of the school.
The buildings on the west side of the Spine largely escaped damage, including Residence 3, the energy centre, secondary school classrooms, the new staff accommodation and the construction office. The dining hall and kitchen are still functioning.
The solar water pumps continue to work and the school has a safe water supply. The solar energy equipment appears to be intact, but some of the electrical wiring will need to be replaced.
The mud seems not to be polluted. Students and staff are being urged to continue to use the VIP latrines that are still functioning.
While it is too early to assess the extent of physical damage, initial inspection indicated only limited structural damage to the buildings, but many internal walls and floors will need to be replaced. The Arup-designed buildings seem to have withstood a major test.
The mud is still too wet to walk on and a JCB digger will be needed in due course to shift the tonnes of mud that cover the campus.
Yesterday (Saturday), local people diverted an adjacent stream as a temporary measure to try to deflect any future water or mud flows, but a permanent solution will be required to protect the school in the long-term.
Your help is urgently needed for the clean up and rebuilding work – Please donate whatever you can now (How to Donate)
The IT room was devastated and all the computers will need to be replaced.
Your help is urgently needed for the clean up and rebuilding work – Please donate whatever you can now (How to Donate)
Even the playground was damaged by the flood
Your help is urgently needed for the clean up and rebuilding work – Please donate whatever you can now (How to Donate)