What follows are 10 tips for survival in a flood situation. I am currently in a real flood situation in the Bangkok November 2011 floods at the time of writing this blog post and I have included tips that I am finding useful. The picture is from the road outside of where I am staying.

1) Plenty of Water

Before the flood arrives, stock up on plenty of water – I have stocked up on a 2 week supply of water. Sewage is coming through some people’s taps here as I speak, so you’ll need drinking water as well as water to wash in to remain comfortable. Store the water in a shaded place as it will keep longer. Boil up any water you are not sure of to be extra safe if you think that it may be out of date. Yes, cold countries may laugh at this, but in hot countries water goes out of date faster. After a flood warning it is better to overreact and get too many supplies in than being scared of overreacting and  waiting until the last minute. The shops around this area ran out of water very quickly and shops are not re-stocking as they are afraid of looters or their delivery trucks being stuck in the flood.

2) Electricity – The Biggest Killer

In this particular flood, most people I hear about are being killed by electric current in the water. Two people that I know of close by have been electrocuted this week alone. If flooding comes into your home make sure the downstairs electrics are turned off. Get to know your fusebox. I have labelled up every fuse, so I can turn off the downstairs electrics quickly if needed.

3) Test The Water

If water has entered your house and you have switched off all of the electrics downstairs. It’s still not enough. You will need to test the water to be absolutely sure. If possible use equipment to test the water. A good idea is to buy a simple electrical current tester in advance, if a flood is heading toward your area. If you have no equipment you can test the water by very, very, lightly touching the water with the back of your hand – not the front of your hand. You will feel a tingling sensation if there is an electrical current in the water, or your hand will be thrown back. If you test the water with the front of your hand your hand will tense up and be under water. The best possible way is to first test it with equipment and then give the water the ‘back of the hand’ test to be absolutely sure. If you are unlucky enough to find yourself having to turn off the electrics at the fusebox with water already in your house – stand on something non-conductive or wear rubber wellies. Don’t use your hand to touch the fuse switches, use a piece of wood or rolled up newspaper etc. Anything non-conductive.

4) Keep All Empty Bottles

Keep all empty water bottles. You can use the bottles for storing washing water from tap water that might not be available during the flood if you have time to prepare. They can also act as floats if you have to make a raft out of your cupboard doors etc.

5) Electrical Tape, Rope, Torch & Batteries

If you can, get in a good supply of electrical tape and rope. The rope can help in many ways, such as making rafts etc. Down the road I spotted people living in a bungalow that has roped up their motorbike and T.V. set and hoisted it up off of ground level. Yes, it looks weird, but it works. With electrical tape you can seal bottles 100% as well as many other uses which your imagination comes up with in flood emergency situations. The torch and batteries are obvious must haves. If you can, by a boat or a rubber dingy in advance too. If you wait until the flood comes, unscrupulous individuals looking to profit from the flood will then sell you a boat for 2 times the usual amount, or more. Candles are also a good idea as well as battery powered hand fans for hot countries and many layers of clothes in cold countries in case the electricity goes out.

6) Plastic Bags

Plastic bags can be used with the electrical tape for filling up with tap water before the flood arrives for water for washing. This way you can save your drinking water. I am using bin bags and need 3 bin bags to ensure no leaks to store water in them. You can also use the bin bags for going to the toilet, if the toilet in your bathroom doesn’t work anymore.

7) Don’t Rely On The News Too Much

Don’t rely too much on the news as they usually report from the worst affected area for shock value to sell newspapers etc. Also, beware of rumours that are sometimes exaggerated. Just the other day the newspaper reported that my area would not flood, but now it’s flooded. Instead, ring friends up in different areas around you to get the real lowdown on whether it’s flooding or not.

8 ) Collect Emergency Numbers And Prepare An Evacuation Plan + Beware Of Thieves

Collect as many emergency help numbers as you can and top your mobile phone up and charge it up fully before any blackout. Prepare an evacuation plan in advance for if it gets really bad. You can either box up your valuables and take them with you or hide them (not always effective but better than nothing) from thieves that may take advantage of your situation and empty house. Be extra on guard for burglars and thieves as these people are either stone-cold hearted and want to take advantage or they are people that are desperate for money because they are flood victims themselves. In the current flood situation I am in there are many thefts and burglaries going on. One guy on a news interview said that his road had many thieves but the police cannot get there in time to help. It is usually against the law to carry a weapon to protect yourself and authorities usually give some weak advice like ‘don’t resist’, or if you’re in England ‘say if you know a martial art 3 times, then make a controlled citizens’ arrest with little to no force, upstairs in your home, but not downstairs’ . . . yeah right . . . lol. Well I’m certainly not going to just stand there and let someone break into my home and maybe do even worst things than just rob me, so I personally have opted to have a few surprises in store for anyone trying to mug me or steal from me.

9) Use Sandbags Wisely

In the flood situation I am in, sand bags were all the rage to start with. However, people quickly realised that sand bags just slow the flooding down instead of stopping it. If you cannot protect your house with the amount of sandbags you may be rationed to (30 per house in this situation) which is the case with me, you can use the sandbags to build ramps to elevate your car instead. Many people have built stone walls around their houses as it is the only real effective way to keep water out.

10) Be Ready For The Unexpected

Lastly, every flood situation has unique problems, so be ready for the inevitable problems and complications specifically related to your flood. For instance, there were reports of crocodiles swimming into Bangkok from the floods coming down from the north. I initially thought that this was a joke, until someone up the road from us took a picture of a crocodile swimming past her gate. In this particular flood the water doesn’t flow into an area, instead it comes up from the ground which can catch you off guard if you’re not careful as it creeps up. At present, 60 percent of taxis have gone in the non-flooded areas nearby, all high-rise car parks are full, including the hospital car parks and there are even reports of leprosy concerns because of the sewage water rising. I had a boat in advance but lent it out to friends in a worse affected area, so I no longer have a boat. However, I don’t regret this as the flood water in that area is much worse than here. Be ready for unexpected kindness too, from neighbours you might not have spoken to much before pulling together to help each other for instance.

Update: In all the floods lasted 2 weeks. I was fed up with noodles and tuna after the floods passed. The real threat was mainly from the increase in thieves arrising from the floods and electrocution. There were two people around the area that died through electrocution which was very sad. It is now, at the time of this update a year after the floods.

Article by Kevin Baker

An excellent site for preparing for disasters run by Arthur Bradley can be reached through this link.

Here are 10 tips and suggestions to help anyone planning on travelling to Koh Samet Island.

1. Wear long sleeved tops and trousers in the evenings and you’ll cut mosquito bites down by at least 50%. Some restaurants don’t have mosquito coils but you can buy a load and take them out with you from the local shops on the island.
2. Be prepared for the entrance fee to the island which is currently 400 baht for foreigners and 40 baht for Thai people. If you go over by speedboat in the rain you can often avoid the entrance fee as most Thai people don’t like the rain.
3. The fire shows on the island along the most popular beaches are great. It’s polite to give a tip and you can get great pictures or video. However, after what seems like the 1000th fire show if you stay for a long time, it can get a bit annoying as you are giving out tips still but you’ve seen it already. To avoid this, eat at about 5:00 PM or sit up in one of the restaurants not near the beach.
4. Be careful of your belongings and wary of other tourists. There are professional thieves at work in all tourist areas around the world. Be especially careful if people get close to your bag. One of my relatives had a camera stolen by what seemed like a decent looking family petting a puppy near the bag. When we returned back to our room, the zip was open and the camera was gone. We also met someone whose camcorder was stolen the day after.
5. There is a cheap bus service from Bangkok to Koh Samet which stops at Ban Pae pier. You can travel in luxury using one of the speedboat services or you can travel by ferry for about 50 baht. If you travel by ferry and are buying a return ferry ticket, take a quick discreet picture of your ticket before travelling back. The reason being is that I once had the person loading my luggage ask for my ticket, then when I boarded the ferry I had another guy ask me for my ticket. I was asked to pay again which I refused to do. When you buy your ticket there will no doubt be some pushy people asking if you’ve booked yet, shoving a handmade brochure into your hands. Just say you’ve booked already and don’t hang around for another 20 questions as if they book for you they will add a bit on top obviously. All in all though, the ferry service is a very good service.
6. If you are buying from the touts on the beach you can get some great deals. If you buy more than one of anything you can ask for a discount. Even better, if you have a Thai friend, you can ask him or her to approach the beach vendor and negotiate for you. If you are friends with any of the staff in the resort where you are, you can get the low-down on the cheapest places to eat etc.
7. Koh Samet is quite safe and certainly more safer than Koh Samui for instance, but it pays to be careful in all tourist areas. Never drink alone especially if you are a woman. Don’t get drunk – stay alert and sharp. If you want to get a bit drunk finish off the night safe in your resort or even better, in your room. Never fall asleep on a deserted beach alone for obvious reasons as many disasters occur because of this.
8. The boat trips around the island are good value. You can look for signs on the beach for a trip that suits you. Taxis are quite expensive, but motorbike taxis are cheaper. Alternatively, you can hire a motorbike. If you rent a motorbike go to somewhere that people recommend on the island as you have to hand your passport over. Look over the bike to see if there are any scrapes etc. and point these out before renting the bike to make sure the person renting out the bike is already aware of this.
9. Pick the area where you stay wisely. Near the island’s pier is very busy and has a party atmosphere. Further up the beach at Ao Paai for instance it gets quieter. My personal favourite is Samet Villa which is in between the very quiet area and the more lively area so you have a choice of where to go. The staff are friendly and the Swiss owner is a nice guy. I have put their contact details below.
10. If you stay for longer than 2 weeks, you can often negotiate a discount at a resort if you arrive and barter in person. Resorts usually will give you a monthly rate if you’re planning a long holiday too.

Eckhart Tolle’s ‘The Power of Now’

I decided to write this mini-review of Eckhart Tolle’s ‘The Power of Now’ because after reading this book it really did change the way I think.

Tolle explains in this book how we are often looking into the future or thinking back to the past at the expense of living in the moment, as if treating the present moment as just a stepping stone to something perceived as ‘better’ in the future.

How many times do we reach a goal and then still not feel fulfilled and happy? For instance, someone could have a goal to buy a new Toyota car, then when that goal is reached they then want the next model up, then perhaps a Mercedes, then maybe two cars and so on . . .

This book is not about appreciating what you already have. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. His advice is to eradicate the egoic mind and enjoy the present moment and not get attached to things as if they are part of ourselves. The present moment, as he rightly explains, is all we ever really have. Cars rust, new technologies become old technologies, looks and health eventually fade and of course life itself in this state at least is only temporary.

Interestingly, he proposes that the past is not you and is just a series of events that you can learn from. He splits time into several different categories: ‘Clock Time’ and ‘Egoic Time’. Egoic time is explained as when you form a bridge in your mind to a ‘usually traumatic’ time in the past and hang onto it, forcing you to constantly and needlessly think back to that moment, causing stress and unhappiness.

The concept of ‘Surrender’ is re-examined as a strong weapon against the egoic mind’s prison. When you surrender (accept) ‘what is’ this is explained as the key to breaking free from the egoic mind’s controlling thought patterns.

For example, if someone is cruel to an animal for instance, if I confront them and take appropriate action (i.e. calling the RSPCA etc.) that the situation deserves, I may have resolved the situation.  However, the situation is still not resolved in my mind, as I will constantly think back to that event with thoughts similar to ‘How can some people be so cruel?’ or ‘It shouldn’t be like that’ or even ‘That should never have happened’. This book does not advise you to not take action or stop defending yourself or others, it advises you to ‘do what needs to be done’. Surrender in this sense means to accept the situation or fact as something that ‘is’. He rightly explains that for any situation that we are not happy with, we have three options: change the situation, avoid the situation or accept (surrender to) the fact. Re-judging, re-telling or re-thinking through the situation isn’t going to change anything. Then, after you accept past experiences, so that you can really move on and surrender to ‘what is’ you can clear your mind and appreciate the present moment more.

I liked this book a lot as it is not bogged down with ancient, vague and often inaccurate  language translations from thousands of years ago. I wanted to know why people meditated apart from relaxing and feeling at peace of course. I felt that there had to be more to it. I also wanted to have at least a pointer to what ‘enlightenment’ is. Although it is true that you cannot appreciate ‘enlightenment’ until you experience it and of course striving toward this defeats the object, Tolle explains that ‘enlightenment’ is simply being free from the controlling egoic mind and connecting with ‘being’ in the present moment. In fact, the Buddha explained enlightenment as being ‘free from pain’ – in other words – free from being too attached to material things that are temporary and also accepting states that the egoic mind fights against, as in getting older or the fact that our life is temporary.

The good news is that you don’t have to be a fully enlightened zen master with a flawlessly clear state of mind to benefit from awareness. I’d say that I’ve cut down destructive and needless thought patterns by about 50% – not perfect by any means – but it’s made me more productive and more relaxed as a bonus.

There is a lot of nonsense surrounding meditation at times, confusing people and seeming unobtainable, in reality it can be done anywhere and in almost all activities. This book points out that meditation is just a very clear and simple state of mind that exists within all of us.

So, hold off the plans to put wind chimes around your house, grow a metre-long beard and change your name to ‘Little Lotus Dragon’ 😉 Improved awareness and defence against the egoic mind can be found in this book and once the concept is understood, I believe that anyone can benefit from Tolle’s excellent advice. However, I had to read it slowly, a little at a time and re-read most parts to get the message.

If anyone has read or reads this book, please leave a comment as I would be interested in your thoughts. This blog post is just the icing on the cake and doesn’t do a thorough job of explaining the whole book so please don’t go by my opinion. It’s your opinion of this book that counts as you’ll have a whole new perspective relative to you. I hope that this post was useful and also hope that it helps someone in some way. 🙂

Article by Kevin Baker