A recent study shows that only 31% of households in Singapore have a plan for what to do in the event of a disaster. This does not bode well, says Jared Ng ...
As such, the urgency or value of such warning drills naturally take a backseat in terms of importance. The absence of terror attacks or natural disasters has meant that our perception of these risks is lowered. This suggests that while residents may physically hear the siren wails, they are not “tuned in” to the signal and do not register its significance as a warning. More worryingly, the report also found that only 18 per cent of people in Singapore actually “receive” the warning signal. A quick history lesson - 6.20pm on Feb 15 is the exact time the British surrendered Singapore to the Japanese during World War II in 1942. This does not bode well, says Jared Ng of the Institute for the Public Understanding of Risk.
If you have been watching the news on the Turkiye-Syria earthquake, scenes of destruction and deaths would have been shocking and heart-wrenching.
We can all practise being grateful and counting our blessings! Likewise, our children would not realise how blessed and fortunate we are to be in a safe and secure environment. Parents can affirm the feelings and validate them by talking about human suffering with faith-based perspectives. Children may also feel the injustice and the weight of the tragedy, sometimes their feelings might overwhelm them. Can we put ourselves in the However, because of how removed we are from the disaster zone, few of us would be able to realise the intensity of trauma and losses.
The power of education during crises for girls, cannot be underestimated. Plan International is calling on the Australian gov. to help.
It’s time for the Australian Government to do the same. The Australian Government has the opportunity to support girls affected by crisis access a quality and inclusive education. The power of education during crises for children, especially girls, cannot be underestimated. For Naomi in the Solomon Islands, countless school weeks have been missed due to cyclones – increasing in frequency and intensity without climate action. Our mission was to get kids excited about learning; I can’t describe the pride in seeing students grow and thrive throughout the year, expressing ideas more confidently and developing a genuine love of learning. Years ago, when I was working as a high school teacher, this first couple of weeks of school was about getting to know the kids in my classes.