If there is no flood in our home, we can earn our bread. Kedar Babu Dhungana, Nepalgunj Flood affected people in Banke sheltering on the road under blue and yellow plastic sheet received from RC "We were sharing with each other that the rain this year is something we didn't experience before. When I was talking to my wife she told me that we needed to evacuate the house since the water level was unexpectedly increasing with blocked water. Water had no way to flow and the level was increasing." said Sabir Nau, a barber by profession for decades at local market in Nepalgunj. Sabir is currently taking shelter in Fatteh Muhammad Dharmashala at the downtown, Nepalgunj with his family members (9). A total of 134 families are taking shelter in the Dharmashala and surrounding buildings since the evening of 26th July 2007. The three days long torrential rain had compelled them to flee from their homes with influx of water into the homes. Remembering the very devastating day, Sabir, a permanent resident of Ganeshpur- 5 of Nepalgunj Municipality added that within a few minutes his house was drowned and all of them were forced to flee the house without proper handling of the belongings. They were just able to manage the precious belongings and evacuated the house just with a key hanging their children on their arms in a water logged road. A resident of Sabir’s neighbouring place has the same terrific story of the day when the woman was forced to evacuate her home before completing her dinner with her 3 children at 8 p.m. She was forced to evacuate the scene with her small son on her back and two children in her hands. She just managed to lock the door of her home. She could save nothing except her children and the clothes on her body. With the fall in the water level after the stop of the rain on 28th July, she went to her home and found that most of her belongings were swept away. Talking to Red Cross volunteers in the Dharmashala, she weeped and stuttered “Oh God! How can I make my life ahead since nothing of my belongings is safe? I have to rebuild my house. From where comes the money? The food stuff is just for a day”. Many others have the same plight because of floods that they experienced first time in their life. Sakir Darji with 5 family members, Nandu Sai with 6 family members and Ajij Sekh with 5 family members, Ratul with 9 is among the families taking shelter in the Dharmashala. Most of the people were forced to pass their night of 26th July since they were forced to evacuate their homes before dinner. "I think God even pays mercy on us even in the mid of disaster, because the flood occurred by the evening and we managed to escape without any human loss. If it would have occurred by midnight, many of us might not be left to see the day" Dilmaya moaned. This is the very cruellest side of the disaster. They also have some happy moments amidst of the dark days. The community of the Dharmashala's surrounding areas was the first responder to their plight. They provided them with shelter, food and security. The premises of the Dharmashala were safe being in a comparatively high land. Sabir's seven years old daughter was found with smile only when she received a biscuit provided by Nepal Red Cross, Banke Chapter in the morning of the following day at their shelter. By the time Red Cross Chapter managed to serve the neediest people taking shelter in different places by providing dry food in the mission of saving lives. Red Cross provided dry food with a combination of beaten rice with sugar, biscuits and instant noodles for children affected. Sabir's daughter started playing as she received the biscuit provided by the Red Cross volunteers. Sabir further added "We just used to know the Red Cross with emblem on its vehicles plying on their roads but never came to know that one day Red Cross would come to them with food care". "We are very much thankful to Red Cross that it helped us survive in hard time," he added. “If there is no flood in our home and market is open, we can earn our bread ourselves. But when everything is lost, we really need some external support just to survive at that moment, and we have found Red Cross assisting us, and that's great" he quoted. Life, in city and rural areas of Banke, is gradually coming to normal. Still there are hundreds of families taking shelter in different public places, in relatives’ houses and in dharmashalas. Relief has been geared up even by reaching to remote rural areas with food stuffs. Nepal Red Cross with coordination and cooperation of all sectors has been using all its resources with mobilization of hundred of volunteers. More could be observed within next twenty four hours with gearing up of the relief operation.