Tom arrived back at his home at night. His parents and sister were watching the tv. When his mother saw him, she asked, "Tom, where have you been? I couldn't contact you."
"Sorry mum, something cropped up which I had to attend to," Tom replied
"Anyways, Tom, come sit with us. The news is showing a special program now," his father said.
The tv was showing a documentary of Yellowstone volcano. It talked about the signs of an eruption and what would occur if an eruption happened. The effects will be devastating. Nearly two-thirds of the United States would be deemed to be uninhabitable to live in and temperatures will plummet about 20 degrees Celsius worldwide. The documentary ended and the news anchor started to speak.
"As the documentary has shown, a Supervolcano eruption will devastate the world in ways cannot imagined. Unfortunately, although the Yellowstone Supervolcano is in no imminent danger of erupting, another Supervolcano is waiting to blow just half a world away, down here in Singapore. Experts and ASEAN leaders have predicted what might happen if Singapore were to erupt. And the effects will be devastating beyond measure.
Experts and ASEAN leaders have predicted that in a worst case scenario, the volcano will erupt and wipe off Singapore from the map. Not just that, the pyroclastic flow from the eruption may reach as far as Thailand, the Philippines and Indonesia, possibly killing more than a quarter of a billion people, and many more injured. Hospitals will not be able to cope with the number of injured as thousands pour into hospitals, burnt by the pyroclastic flows or suffocated by choking ash produced. Millions more will be left without electricity and may not have food, water and shelter in the immediate aftermath of this colossus disaster. This massive eruption will be considered as the worst disaster in human history.
Hence, the governments of Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines have ordered all their citizens to begin immediate evacuation from the danger zone. This danger zone includes the whole island and islands of Singapore, the whole of Malaysia which includes Sabah and Sarawak, everything west of Jakarta plus the Kalimantan region, Indonesia, southern and central Thailand till Bangkok, and the southern Philippine islands of Minanao. The yellow zone will include Northern Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, East Timor and the Philippine islands of Leyte. People living in those areas are advised to either evacuate or stockpile at least 10 days' worth of food and water.
Thank you for watching this program. Stay safe and may God bless us all," the newswoman said. The broadcast then ended and the normal daily news resumed.
"We need to leave, now. Pack all necessities. We are leaving for New Zealand to join your cousins and uncle living there", Tom's father said.
Tom's mom looked down at the floor, visibly sad. Tom and his sister just nodded and started to pack their stuff. Meanwhile, Tom's father went to book a flight to New Zealand. All around, noises could be heard as neighbours started packing their valuables and necessities too, preparing to leave Singapore.
Tom could not believe his eyes. For the first time, he was leaving his home country, and he did not know whether it will be permanent or not. The thought of it scared him. He started packing to keep his mind out of that thought.