NOTHING highlights a difference in perspective like a change in temperature on a rainy day. In Singapore, a 25-degree day is known as ‘sweater weather’. Growing up in the UK, a 25-degree day was known as ‘sunbathing weather’.
In recent weeks, Singaporean parents have wrapped their kids in hoodies, sweaters and ski jackets for those hazardous expeditions from the school drop-off to the school canteen. When it was the same temperature, my parents wrapped me in skimpy trunks and dropped me into the sea. Every doggy paddle felt like a puberty reversal process. Parts of my body hibernated.
So the northeast monsoon season, coupled with a La Nina event, is always a chance to enjoy the collective loss of reason. (There is a Singaporean Reddit thread headlined, ‘anyone else feeling down and irritated by this non-stop rain’, followed by a string of replies that essentially said, ‘dude, the rain started yesterday’.)
According to the Meteorological Service Singapore’s website, the world is now on “La Nina watch”, which sounds like an exclusive timepiece Mark Zuckerberg might wear (“in his latest fireside chat to the planet, the Meta owner was spotted wearing a limited edition La Nina watch, which cost the earth, and may eventually destroy it.”)
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Of course, it’s the media’s coverage that truly reflects a nation’s anxiety. As the California fires ripped through one Los Angeles suburb after another, the Singaporean rains led to the cancellation of – wait for it – a beach clean-up at Pulau Ubin.
Much worse was to follow. Across the Causeway in Johor, almost 4,000 people had to seek refuge in flood relief centres. And in similarly distressing scenes, two Singaporean golf events were disrupted.
But there was one image during the stormy weather, perhaps overlooked in the hysterical hullabaloo, that conveyed not only a gentle dignity, but also quietly raised the alarm for all of us, particularly our senior citizens.
A video posted on Facebook showed two men helping an elderly man cross the road at Geylang Lorong 22. The rain was heavy and he was clearly struggling with a walking stick. The two men offered shelter with their umbrellas, held up the traffic and safely got him to the other side.
That video was our warning, for future flash floods, for climate change and for the vulnerable and the elderly. While the hysterical hullabaloo was entertainingly over the top – and Hysterical Hullabaloo really should be a track on a 70s’ rock album – there were subtle signs of what’s in store for Singapore.
The dark side of rainy days
The statistics were titillating as the mercury fell to 21.6 deg C in the Newton Road area, but a Singapore doctor reported a 30 to 40 per cent increase in patients suffering from colds and flu. While elderly folks seeking treatment for rheumatism, which can be aggravated by a drop in temperature, also increased by 30 per cent.
Of course, monsoonal conditions are nothing new. Singapore’s last kampong at Buangkok was flooded so often that it earned it the nickname “Kampong Selak Kain” (selak kain means “lift up your sarong”) and remains a designated flood zone. But our living circumstances have changed. We no longer lift our sarongs and move horizontally. We head for lifts and move vertically.
On January 10, two lifts were shut down due to water seepage at Block 454 Choa Chu Kang Avenue 4. Residents had to rely on only one working lift. In a future scenario, what if all lifts went down? The elderly can’t necessarily manage so many flights of stairs. Even on the ground, viral photos of Singaporeans wading through ankle-deep water around the Seaview Park residential estate were amusing enough. But would it be so funny for wheelchair users?
On the whole, Singapore’s flood preparedness was – and remains – impressive. Residents are encouraged to download the myENV app, which is so addictive. My wife plays Farm Heroes on her phone. I stare at the rain radar on mine.
Commuters can also subscribe to PUB Flood Alerts on Telegram, which just goes to show how far we’ve come. My late grandmother used to provide the flood alerts in her neighbourhood by opening the window and shouting “it’s ******* raining again!”
But are seniors following these flood updates on Telegram? I’ve been in the media industry for 25 years and I’ve never used Telegram. To me, a telegram is something read out at a wedding to calm nerves after the best man made an off-colour joke about the groom’s ex-girlfriend.
Weather apps and alerts are useful, but they are powerless to stop the destructive forces of climate change. Flooded lifts, stranded seniors and packed clinics are pertinent reminders that the elderly will be most at risk from extreme monsoonal conditions so spare a thought for that uncle cowering at the bus stop. Or that auntie struggling with a shopping trolley and an umbrella. See if they need help. Offer one of the three hoodies you are probably already wearing.
‘Sweater weather’ is fun, but no one wants to feel like they’re being left out in the cold.
