Central govt support expedites safety checks and rehousing for the affected

Substantial and timely support from the central and Hong Kong Special Administrative Region governments has expedited on-site probe into last month’s deadly Wang Fuk Court fire and facilitated the rehousing of those affected, the housing authorities and community said on Saturday.

One displaced resident described the collective post-disaster response as “warming and reassuring”.

Other affected residents said their main wish now is for prompt government action to arrange long-term, sustainable housing that provides solid ground for restoring stability and resuming livelihoods.

Daniel Leung Hung-wai, deputy director of the Housing Bureau’s Development and Construction Department, said supplies from the central government played an instrumental role in completing structural safety checks of all buildings at Wang Fuk Court. The process was largely completed within 24 hours.

The large-scale operation, involving over 100 personnel working simultaneously, required immense resources, he said. The central government’s provision of essential items, such as protective waterproof gear and lighting for pitch-black surroundings, enabled the teams to work unimpeded.

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Leung described the timely supply of the equipment as a clear demonstration of the central government’s support for Hong Kong.

“That readiness to give, to act, and to go the extra mile is in our collective ethos as Chinese people,” he said, having witnessed firsthand the firefighting efforts and police officers working tirelessly in the post-disaster response.

Leung and his team entered the fire scene around 3 pm on Nov 28, hours after the blaze had been mostly extinguished, to conduct preliminary safety assessments. “It was a heavy moment,” he said.

Inside Wang Cheong House, the block at Wang Fuk Court where the blaze first broke out and raged for more than 40 hours, they carried out a rapid visual survey and took photos before exiting exhausted, Leung recalled, firmly believing that the structural information they had gathered would allow follow-on crews a safer, more informed entry for rescue efforts and detailed inspections.

Cherry Lee Yim-ming, a project development manager with transitional housing operator Lok Sin Tong Benevolent Society, Kowloon, said the organization quickly freed up more than 20 units on the night of the blaze to offer shelter to those affected, and has since rehoused over 80 households.

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She said she was most impressed by the “remarkable” speed and efficiency of the community’s response, with a colossal amount of aid supplies, including bedding, food, small household appliances, and cleaning products, being assembled in days.

Lee added that rental payments have been waived, and that lease agreements for the transitional units are flexible to accommodate varying departure timelines based on residents’ needs.

Community resilience

As of Sunday, 1,408 affected residents had been housed in youth hostels, camps or hotels through the Home and Youth Affairs Bureau, while 2,702 had moved into transitional housing units provided by the Housing Bureau and the Hong Kong Housing Society.

Government-led initiatives such as the “one-household, one-social worker” mechanism have been vital in supporting longer-term recovery efforts, Lee said.

In one instance, a care team volunteer from Tsuen Wan district encountered a woman in her 70s who had trudged more than 10,000 steps on Nov 28 to reach a designated government office for post-fire assistance. The care team swiftly liaised with relevant departments to arrange for the woman and other affected residents to be temporarily rehoused at Nina Hotel Tsuen Wan West where they could complete their paperwork on-site.

Despite tangible losses, the displaced residents expressed appreciation for the support they received, praising the hotel staff’s attentiveness, which included promptly providing a blender to help with meal preparation for their elderly family members.

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“I’ve got barely a few hundred dollars on me after the fire. I’ve lost all my cards, it hurts,” one of them said. “But, with the help of the government and all those around us, we can manage for the time being.”

As of Sunday, the Support Fund for Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po has received HK$3 billion ($385.3 million) in donations, building on the government’s initial start-up capital of HK$300 million. In response to residents’ needs, the living allowance for affected households has been raised from HK$50,000 to HK$100,000, benefiting 1,273 registered cases seeking assistance.

Flora Ni, Shadow Li, Fu Yinglin contributed to the story.

Contact the writers at wanqing@chinadailyhk.com