If an emergency occurs, it’s vital to remain as calm as possible while also acting quickly.
So, how prepared are we to deal with such a situation if we don’t even know when or if it will happen?
That’s quite a tricky thing to address because we always hope that we won’t be in a dangerous emergency situation.
However, it’s always a good idea to be prepared enough so that we have less obstacles to deal with after we get out of an emergency situation and continue to live well.
This is why I believe that every household or individual should have an emergency bag or kit ready.
Sometimes we may not be privileged enough to have the time to pack up before evacuating or taking shelter elsewhere.
I recently put more thought into this when there was a fire incident at my apartment complex that impacted multiple towers. Only a small part of an area was on fire but the heavy smoke spread to the surrounding towers due to lack of ventilation. The fire alarm and PA system were not functioning at the time of the incident for an undisclosed reason. *fishy, huh π€*
I was already outside and staying in a different accommodation at that time due to a personal appointment. I was made aware of the incident when my housemate texted me about it in the afternoon.
Apparently, the fire started as early as 3 or 4 in the morning but my own housemate was only aware of it and got out of the building around 4 or 5 in the afternoon after a neighbour kept ringing our doorbell.
We joined a Whatsapp group chat created by residents of the same complex to get updates on the incident.
Our own unit was not badly affected since our doors and windows were closed and our balcony was facing the opposite, less impacted side. There was only strong burnt smell from the smoke and some parts of the house was extra dusty and dirty. We found out that the less fortunate residents had it way worse and their houses required vigorous cleaning and scrubbing using chemically stronger washing products. In the group chat, the other residents were sharing about their own experiences trying to evacuate the building with difficulty to breathe and limited visibility because of the smoke. Some residents didn’t have the chance to grab essential items for their children and themselves.
I was lucky that I was already outside and had my luggage of clothes and toiletries with me. My reporting manager at work advised me to take an emergency time-off on the next day since my work laptop was at home and the firefighters were still working on ensuring that the fire was contained and the buildings (residential towers) were safe. So, I spent the night at a friend’s place.
Once I had returned home, I did some basic cleaning and laundry.
I also filled up my waterproof gym bag with some essential items that I believed would be useful in the case of an emergency.
That bag is now my emergency bag. It has just enough things that I might need if I’m ever required to immediately leave home in an emergency situation and spend a night elsewhere.
Stay safe!
