Flooded River on Path of Destruction The people of Balasagra, a small collection of villages in Nepal, used to believe that they could count on the government to rescue them during a disaster. Now, after severe monsoon floods, they are beginning to realize that it is better not to depend on other people during an emergency. "Staying alert and taking action at the right moment is important, and it reduces your losses," says Rajeya Devi, 45, whose house was swept away when the nearby Kamala River changed its course, moved four kilometers to the west and flooded her village of Balerawa. Rajeya Devi and her neighbors fled with their families and valuables to a nearby school, which had been designated as an evacuation center. The village is threatened by floods every year, and for a month or more it is cut off from the outside world. During the monsoon season, most of the roads, culverts and bridges are under water. Telephone lines are cut, and mobile phones don't work properly in emergencies. Two boats provide residents their most reliable transportation. One was provided by CARE's community-based disaster reduction project and the other is privately owned. When the river current is high even the boat service becomes unreliable, and people are trapped in the village for days at a time. The water has been cutting into the river bank next to the village and carrying away bits of earth. As the river's course continues to move closer, another 50 houses are in danger of being swept away within the next few days. More than 20 houses have already been lost, and another 20 families that were in danger had to be evacuated to a safe site. "The river has returned after 31 years and it is causing massive devastation," says Jibach Mandal, one of the elder villagers. His three sons have been working in the Persian Gulf for the last three years, and they invested their money in a six-room brick house in the village. The river swept it away during the night. And Jibach Mandal is not alone. Many of the young men from poor families have been working as laborers in the Gulf in order to pay back their families' debts to money lenders. Now they are losing their houses and farmland to the floods, and they are poor again. In just two weeks, the village has lost 134 hectares (331 acres) of valuable farmland and property worth 8 million rupees ($112,550), according to Ram Udgar Yadav, the chairperson of the Disaster Risk Reduction Committee. Everyone is working to keep the river from entering the village by cutting tree branches and building barriers to divert it. But another village leader says he can't be sure how effective the effort will be to protect the village. Many people around Balerwa share a superstition that the village and the Kamala River cannot be separated, and the river will follow the village where ever it moves. Thirty years ago, Balerwa was located 3 kilometers (1.8 miles) to the east. When the villagers moved their houses to the west, the river changed course and followed them to their current location. Wherever they find themselves after this crisis, CARE will be there to help them rebuild — safer and stronger than before.