All around Singapore, people were quickly booking air tickets to fly out of the country, to escape from the inevitable. Websites were overwhelmed by the sheer number of people booking air tickets, and at Changi International Airport, security and custom officers struggled to contain the crowds as people frantically tried to check-in and enter the departure hall. It was utter chaos there. Meanwhile, the scene at the Tuas and Woodlands checkpoints, which were checkpoints to enter Johor, Malaysia, were no different. Traffic could not move as thousands of cars were trying to enter Malaysia, trying to evacuate from Singapore. Expressways, roads, streets, everywhere was jammed by people trying to get out of Singapore.
The government tried to calm things down by asking citizens to remain calm and evacuate in an orderly manner, but with minimal effect. Shopping malls, schools, houses, restaurants, all were empty. The train system broke down as there were too many people trying to reach the airport or the cruise terminal via train. It resulted in commuters having to wait for hours in the trains without air conditioning and packed like sardines before the train system became operational again. People suffocated, vomited and some even fainted due to the cramped and poorly-ventilated condition in the trains. Soon, Singapore stopped to function as a country.
In Malaysia and Indonesia, the situation was worse as they did not have adequate infrastructure in place to cope with a sudden mass evacuation. Riots erupted all across Malaysia and Indonesia as people scrambled to get food, water and medicine. Riot police were called in to disperse the crowds and thousands of people were arrested. Their governments declared martial law while the evacuation was underway, and this managed to loosen the tense situation for the time being.