The residents of Wang Chi House in Wang Fuk Court have continued to return home to collect their belongings. Ms Leung, who lives in Wang Chi House, said she came back to take important documents and necessary supplies. She pointed out that the government has arranged for her to return after three or four weeks. Currently, all the units of Wang Chi House have water and electricity, and the elevators are operating normally. However, the floor is wet. Ms Leung also mentioned that apart from the door, there is no damage to her house for the time being.
The residents of Wang Chi House in Wang Fuk Court have continued to return home to collect their belongings. Photo by Bastille Post
Ms Leung, Photo by Bastille Post
The 73-year-old man, Mr Lam, has lived in Wang Shing House of Wang Fuk Court for over 40 years. In his eyes, the main cause of the fire disaster was the malfunction of the fire protection system, while the biggest problem was the management company's operations. Additionally, he hoped that the government could help to provide housing assistance to the affected residents, "At least I can have a place to settle down." said Mr Lam. He also hoped that he could be resettled to another place away from the area near Wang Fuk Court since returning here would bring psychological trauma to him. At present, He has stayed temporarily at the Royal Plaza Hotel in Mong Kok for about two weeks. After that, he will need to find volunteers or social workers to follow up on subsequent matters. "Although staying in Mong Kok is convenient, it cannot be a forever solution." he said.
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The residents of Wang Chi House in Wang Fuk Court have continued to return home to collect their belongings. Photo by Bastille Post
Ms Leung, Photo by Bastille Post
Mr Lam, Photo by Bastille Post
Emmanuel Serna, Photo by Bastille Post
Mr Lam, Photo by Bastille Post
Emmanuel Serna, a French journalist who has lived in Hong Kong for over a decade, said that it was very moving to see volunteers come to the site of the fire and reach out a helping hand to the affected residents. When he saw the fire disaster on TV, he had mixed feelings: "I think it's very sad. Many people are suffering. A lot of people died. They have lost everything, so it's very sad."
Emmanuel Serna, Photo by Bastille Post
Residents from seven fire-affected blocks at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po can return in phases from today until May 4th to retrieve their belongings. This morning, Mr. Cheuk Wing Hing, Deputy Chief Secretary for Administration, along with Mr. Chris Sun, Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Mr. Tang Ping Keung, Secretary for Security, Ms. Winnie Ho, Secretary for Housing, and Miss Alice Mak, Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs, inspected the site and visited Kwong Fuk Community Hall to review the registration centre and supply collection process. They then proceeded to Wang Sun House to assess staffing and response arrangements, and checked the joint command centre and the general information centre. Mr. Cheuk Wing Hing said all personnel on site are ready and in position.
Mr. Cheuk Wing Hing, Deputy Chief Secretary for Administration, Photo by Bastille Post
Today, 78 households from Wang Sun House, totalling 269 residents, registered to go upstairs to collect their belongings. Mr. Cheuk stressed that arranging for residents of the seven blocks to go upstairs required extensive preparation and manpower. More than 1,000 staff were deployed today, including 500 from the Police Force, Civil Aid Service, Fire Services Department, and Auxiliary Medical Service; 260 from the Home Affairs Department (including members from Care Teams); 150 from the Social Welfare Department; around 40 from Housing Department and Housing Bureau; and dozens of other departmental colleagues.
To ensure residents' safety and protect their belongings while entering and exiting the fire-affected buildings, the government has conducted several measures: residents are provided with helmets, masks, gloves, and other protective gear, and are accompanied by the Police Force or Civil Aid Service personnel when entering and leaving their units. The police officers are also stationed in the ground-floor lobbies of each building to prevent unauthorised entry. Furthermore, police officers are present on all accessible floors to guide residents and prevent them from wandering into unsafe areas.
Photo by Bastille Post
Mr. Cheuk added that if residents feel unwell during their upstairs process, the Police Force and Civil Aid Service personnel will provide immediate assistance. For every ten floors opened, four dedicated teams, including social workers from Social Welfare Department and clinical psychologists, will be deployed to support residents in need. The Fire Services Department and Auxiliary Medical Service personnel will also stay on-site to offer emergency and medical services. Residents who remain distressed or unwell after leaving the building can reach out to social workers for psychological counselling.
Photo by Bastille Post
He noted that since announcing the upstairs belongings collection arrangements at the end of March, the government has been considering how to meet residents' needs better and has made several adjustments to facilitate access: If circumstances and order permit, residents may be allowed to return to their units more than once within three hours; to help residents carry their belongings more easily, pick-up points for free shuttle buses and taxis have been moved inside the police cordon and positioned as close as possible to the building position to reduce walking distances; and, considering that residents may stay inside the building for several hours and need restroom access, Housing Bureau has added temporary non-flush toilets in electrical meter rooms on every other floor; cleaning staff will replace the waste bags when full, sparing elderly and other residents the strain of repeatedly climbing stairs.
Residents are provided with helmets, masks, gloves, and other protective gear, and are accompanied by the Police Force or Civil Aid Service personnel when entering and leaving their units. Photo by Bastille Post
Photo by Bastille Post
Mr. Cheuk further pointed out that recent hot and rainy weather could lead to a rise in mosquito activity. Food and Environmental Hygiene Department has conducted mosquito prevention work in each building before residents go upstairs. He urged residents to stay aware of their surroundings and their own health conditions while going upstairs to ensure safety. In addition, Mr. Cheuk said he has recently received feedback from residents that some reporters have contacted them requesting to accompany them upstairs. He understood that for many residents, retrieving belongings or saying goodbye to their units is a private and emotional matter, and they wish to do so quietly. He therefore appealed to reporters not to seek permission to go upstairs for interviews, adding that the government would not approve such requests.
Mr. Tang Ping Keung, Secretary for Security, Photo by Bastille Post
Mr. Tang Ping Keung also said the Police Force or Civil Aid Service personnel will be stationed on each floor to provide immediate assistance, including handling residents’ unwell problems, as these colleagues have taken professional training. Auxiliary Medical Service personnel are also on-site to offer further medical help if needed.
Mr. Tang also noted that Fire Services Department personnel, including ambulancemen, are stationed on-site, and the government has positioned several ambulances ready to transport residents to the hospital if necessary. Regarding residents in need of assistance, he expressed confidence that the Police Force or Civil Aid Service personnel would respond in a humanized approach and do their utmost to help anyone they see requiring support.
Mr. Chris Sun, Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Photo by Bastille Post
Mr. Chris Sun said today’s arrangements are primarily designed to help residents with their belongings collection. Each household may send up to four people upstairs, which may be limited depending on the condition of the unit. He pointed out that, as previously explained, as long as the homeowner registers, a social worker will assist each household with the registration process, which means that, in addition to family members and friends, if social workers are needed, they can also be arranged through the registration system.
Mr. Sun further emphasized that the top priority today is to ensure a smooth process, allowing residents to return to their units, collect belongings, and then safely return to their current homes. He reassured residents that social workers will listen to their opinions, and if there is a need to include non-family social workers as helpers within the four-person limit, the government will assist as much as possible.
The personnel are assisting residents in moving their belongings on site. Photo by Bastille Post
The personnel are assisting residents in entering the building. Photo by Bastille Post
The personnel are assisting residents in moving their belongings on site. Photo by Bastille Post
Some residents have collected their belongings and are ready to leave. Photo by Bastille Post
Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po, Photo by Bastille Post
Photo by Bastille Post
Photo by Bastille Post
