A month after devastating floods struck parts of Nepal, thousands of people remain missing while displaced families struggle to rebuild their lives and the government faces a lengthy and expensive recovery effort.

Narayan Prassan knows the pain of starting over. After working in Saudi Arabia for five years, he returned to Nepal with savings but lost his home in the 2015 earthquake. He later went abroad again, earned enough to rebuild the house and eventually settled there with his family.

The recent floods have destroyed it all again.

His home is now in a designated danger zone, and he has no clear idea where his family will live next. For now, Prassan is staying with his wife and children at a relative’s house and considering another move abroad.

“This flood has taken everything,” he said. “I don’t know what to do.”

The floods have displaced thousands like Prassan, while rescue teams continue searching for thousands of missing people, including those believed to be trapped inside six hydropower project tunnels. The disaster has left families mourning loved ones and losing homes and livelihoods, while the government faces a long-term reconstruction challenge.

Prime Minister Balendra Shah highlighted the disaster during his first address to the U.N. General Assembly on Thursday, describing the floods as a warning about increasing climate risks in the Himalayan region.

“The disaster was not just a local tragedy, but a warning to the world,” Shah said. “I ask you today: Have we really heard that warning?”

He urged the international community to provide greater support for Nepal’s recovery and called for stronger regional cooperation to prepare for climate-related disasters.

“Climate change does not recognize borders. Glaciers and floods do not travel with stamps and passports,” he said.

DNA testing delays final rites

Nepal’s disaster management agency said 1,453 bodies had been recovered, while 5,644 people remained missing. Of the recovered bodies, only 112 had been handed over to relatives, while 1,333 had been temporarily buried as authorities worked to establish their identities.

Officials in neighboring China reported 261 foreign nationals among those missing.

Tents have been installed at the Nepal Police Hospital in Kathmandu where relatives can provide DNA samples to help identify the dead. Authorities are matching those samples with DNA collected from recovered remains.

Laboratory officials did not disclose details of the identification process, citing privacy concerns. They said experts from India, China, the United States, Singapore and South Korea were helping with the work.

Rabi Kumar Thapa Magar, a hydropower worker who lost his wife, brother, sister-in-law and mother, said he identified his wife through a photograph of the dead. However, authorities had already buried her body before the family could see it.

Officials refused to release the body until DNA testing was completed, saying the process would take at least a month. The family later performed symbolic final rites using an effigy.

Families mourn children lost in floods

For many families, the emotional trauma continues.

Pasang Maya Tamang, 32, who lost her young son, said she continues to dream about him asking for help.

“The body of my son has been recovered but I was not able to see him for the last time. I am very sad about that. I hear in my dreams him saying why I left him alone,” Tamang said at a shelter in the flood-hit town of Nuwakot.

Her son had gone to school with a neighbor when the flood struck. By the time Tamang learned what had happened, the school had already been swept away. His body was found three days later in a southern district, but she could not travel there to see him.

The Aug. 26 flooding occurred in the morning when students were arriving at schools or traveling to them. Some children were later found still wearing school ties bearing their institutions’ logos, said Asta Man Dangol, a Nuwakot resident.

“The older students were able to run uphill and escape, but the little ones who were not able to run fast ... were swept away,” he said.

Efforts underway to reconnect flood-hit areas

The Nepal government estimates that reconstruction and recovery will require $4.77 billion. Nearly 33,000 people have been affected, while about 7,500 houses were damaged or destroyed.

Authorities are now prioritizing the restoration of roads and bridges cut off by the floods, particularly in remote areas where damaged infrastructure has hampered the delivery of relief.

Roads engineer Ishmita Shah said crews had been working with the Nepal Army since the second day after the floods to reopen routes in affected areas.

She said new bridges were being constructed to improve access to the worst-hit areas and facilitate the transportation of relief supplies.

However, the work remains difficult as more bad weather is expected in the coming days.

“The upcoming few days are going to be very challenging because of the weather, but we are fully prepared for that too,” she said.