{
  "id": 13829650,
  "title": "Knowing the risk is not the same as being prepared",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/11/knowing-the-risk-is-not-the-same-as-being-prepared",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-11T23:30:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Malaysia Today",
    "slug": "free-malaysia-today",
    "url": "https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/opinion/2026/10/12/knowing-the-risk-is-not-the-same-as-being-prepared"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Knowing the risk is not the same as being prepared, a lesson often overlooked in the face of threats like floods. We acknowledge the potential danger when a heavy-rain warning appears on our phones, identifying which roads may flood, which rivers could rise, and which neighborhoods may have faced similar calamities before. However, mere awareness of a risk does not equate to readiness to face it. Post-flood, we frequently hear comments like, \"We never thought it would get this bad.\" The issue is not always the absence of understanding the hazard; sometimes, we acknowledge it yet continue with our routines unabated. This predicament is a common issue in safety management. When repeatedly exposed to a hazard with minimal serious consequences, our perception of risk can alter. What once evoked concern starts to feel routine.\n\nConsider a family residing in a flood-prone area. Historically, water may have reached their front gate multiple times, yet never intruded into their home. This past experience becomes a form of reassurance: \"It happens every year. The water will recede. But the next flood may not follow the same pattern. A hazard's danger does not diminish simply because we have grown accustomed to it. In the present day, Malaysia enjoys superior access to information compared to previous decades. Weather warnings reach our phones swiftly, while river levels, road closures, and evacuation centers can be monitored almost in real time. The critical question is how we utilize this information. Do we relocate vehicles to higher ground, safeguard vital documents and medications, check on elderly or vulnerable neighbors, and be aware of evacuation routes? Or do we merely read the warning, glance outside, and remain as we were before? According to the statistics department, floods in 2025 resulted in an estimated RM636.9 million in losses nationwide. Public assets and infrastructure bore RM380.2 million, while damage to living quarters totaled RM183.8 million. Nonetheless, preparedness must commence before we begin tallying losses. Imagine being instructed to leave your house in ten minutes. What would you carry with you? Who would require assistance? Where would you retreat to? Would everyone comprehend what steps to undertake? For households with elderly members, young children, individuals with disabilities, or those requiring regular medication, these considerations hold even greater significance. Communities also play a pivotal role. In the initial moments of an emergency, rescue personnel cannot reach every doorstep. At times, the first individual capable of aid may be a neighbor. A prepared community is aware of which households might necessitate assistance, which roads may become impassable first, and how swiftly reliable information can be disseminated. From an occupational safety standpoint, effective risk management does not commence when someone is injured. Hazards are identified, risks assessed, and appropriate controls implemented beforehand. Why should disaster preparedness deviate from this principle? Preparedness does not entail living in perpetual fear, nor does every warning provoke panic. It entails acknowledging risk and uncertainty as inherent aspects and taking reasonable actions before conditions deteriorate. Thus, when the subsequent warning surfaces on our phones, perhaps the query should not be: \"Will it truly escalate to that extent?\" Instead, it should be: \"If it does, are we equipped to respond?\" Khairul Hafezad Abdullah, a senior lecturer in occupational safety and health management and a reader of FMT, articulates these perspectives, which are his own and do not necessarily mirror those of FMT.",
  "summary": "Flood warnings may be easy to understand, but real preparedness begins with knowing what to do before conditions turn dangerous.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Free Malaysia Today",
        "title": "Knowing the risk is not the same as being prepared",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/11/knowing-the-risk-is-not-the-same-as-being-prepared-13830001",
        "published": "2026-10-11T23:30:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}