"Man can only manage change, not control it."

"Man can only manage change, not control it."



If one may carry only a maximum of three items while escaping from any future floods, what should these three items be? Explain your reasons.

In my opinion, these three items should be drinking water (at least 300ml or above), warm clothing (or at least a towel), and a flashlight/handphone.


Why water? You may say that hey it's a flood, there's plenty of water! Well, those water are contaminated water, you can try drinking them to quench your thirst and you'll end up in hospital before you can even escape from the flood itself. The water that the floods bring may actually be drain water, rainwater, or even muddy river water. Just imagine drinking a gulp of it may contain lots of bacteria and germs as the water is totally not purified at all. Besides, water is also one of the basic needs of us humans. Humans can survive without food for at least a week, however we will die without water in just a mere three days! Therefore I think we should bring a bottle of clean, drinking water of at least 300 ml when floods occur.


Secondly, I think we should bring some warm clothes (or at least a towel) when floods occur. The clothes must at least be dry, and it would be better if it's warm. It is because when floods happen, it normally comes with rain/storms which makes the temperature decrease. Therefore you'll definitely need some warm and dry clothes to keep your body temperature constant at 37.5 degree Celsius, and make yourself warm.


Last but not least, I think we can always bring along a flashlight. It is because we need to wait for rescue teams to help us when floods happen, so when we are waiting for the rescue team, we need to flash the flashlights (e.g. the SOS signal) to inform them of our location in case they cannot find us due to the dark atmospheres etc.


In another case, bringing a mobile phone instead of a flashlight also serves the same purpose: communication with the outside world. Let's suggest that you are trapped on your house's roof. Yet the rescue team just cannot seem to find you. At this point of time, it is urgent enough for you to call PUB to inform them of your exact location so that the rescue team can manage to save you on time.


From the statements above, my conclusion is that we should bring water (at least 300ml or above), warm clothing (or at least a towel), and a flashlight/handphone when we are escaping from any future floods.


Steph .