Will you survive an apocalypse in Singapore?

Just because it's the end of the world, doesn't mean you have to panic and run around like a headless chicken. Take a breather and calm down. You're likely to think of your next best move better when you're calm and focused. Be patient and stay put until things mellow down. In the meantime, stay hydrated and nourished while you prep up your flashlights, batteries, first-aid kit and a hand-crank radio to reach out to fellow survivors.

Unless you've been living under a rock – or using it as an extra storeroom – you are well aware that your house is equipped with a bomb shelter. Most apartments and public spaces such as underground train stations, schools and community centres in Singapore have blast-proof shelters as a civil defense measure to shield occupants from shock waves and shrapnel in the event of a bombing or an earthquake. These shelters are large enough to fit an entire family, complete with supplies (if you’ve been stocking them up). We also reckon these shelters are great at keeping out the zombies and other dangerous creatures.

The most important survival essential, next to oxygen, is of course water. But let's be real – how many of us actually choose Singapore's NEWater as our first beverage choice? Unfortunately, beggars can't be choosers during dire times. When it comes to quenching your thirst during an apocalypse, it's wise to swap your usual bottle of Evian, Fiji and Volvic for accessible drinking water like NEWater. For the uninitiated, NEWater is clean tap water from bodily fluids that have undergone multiple processes to make it safe for consumption. Therefore, even if all the water sources in the world are contaminated, Singapore wouldn't bat an eye.

At some point in our lives, we would have been trained in First Aid. Some schools and workplaces actually make it compulsory to go for a course. Plus, anyone who has gone for National Service would have attended one as well, if not once then multiple time, so don’t be surprised if almost half of the nation are adept at CPR, tending of wounds and basic healthcare. Of course in the event of an apocalypse, you can’t count on others to always be there to help you so it might be handy to sign up for a course now, just in time for the next scare.

The Singapore Kampong Spirit is something that transcends time and space. So what if we’re not living in huts and villages anymore? The Kampong Spirit will live through the ages. When under threat, everyone will get together to do what it takes to defend what they love. It doesn’t hurt to be nice to your neighbours and the people in your community and help each other out sometimes. When you’re in an apocalypse, you’ll probably need all the help you can get. Stick together, live a little longer.

If you’ve ever cringed inside witnessing acts of kiasu-ism, you might want to know that being kiasu might actually work in your favour during an apocalypse. How so? All those times you made use of the “buy more to save money” deals, reaped free gifts from various offers, saved a buck here and there from cutting costs – being resourceful can take you far in the apocalypse. Your place will probably be the only house with a fully-stocked fridge, bags of rice, extra batteries and a stack of NTUC vouchers.

Thanks to meticulous urban planning, Singapore is one of the easiest cities to navigate around (except Jurong). Need to get to a certain place? There’s a million different routes and ways to get there. During the apocalypse, having alternative ways of getting to places is definitely handy. On top of that, knowing your streets, buildings and where everything is located in will also come in handy if you ever need some shelter or a hiding place from any horrors and terrors the apocalypse brings. Excelsior!