Support and relief work in progress in relation to major fire

The three task forces set up by the Government for the fire at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po - the Task Force on Investigation and Regulation, the Task Force on Emergency Support and Fund-Raising, and the Task Force on Emergency Accommodation Arrangements - are making full efforts to follow up on the support, relief, and investigation work related to the incident. Details are as follows:

Financial and welfare support

For the Support Fund for Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po, established by the Government, donations received are about HK$3 billion (US$ 385 million) as of December 9. In addition to the start-up capital of HK$300 million (US$38.5 million) from the Government, the fund's total has now reached around HK$3.3 billion (US$423 million). The fund will be used to assist residents in rebuilding their homes and providing long-term and sustained support.

The Government earlier announced that the Support Fund will provide a living allowance to each affected household. As of December 9, 1617 cases have been processed. The living allowance is increased from HK$50,000 (US$6,410) to HK$100,000 (US$12,820). In addition, the Support Fund will provide families of each deceased victim with a token of solidarity of HK$200,000 (US$25,641), as well as HK$50,000 (US$6,410) to cover funeral costs. As of December 9, a total of 106 cases have been processed.

Organizations and individuals who wish to render support for the victims are encouraged to deposit donations direct into the Support Fund. Details of the relevant designated accounts can be found on https://www.taipodonation.hk/#/donate

Social workers from the Social Welfare Department (SWD) have been in contact with more than 1 970 affected households, and more than 4 900 residents have been registered for the "one social worker per household" follow-up service. SWD staff also paid visits to the affected residents staying in transitional housing units in Yuen Long on December 9 and distributed Octopus cards with a face value of HK$2,000 (US$256) to facilitate their daily travels and address their imminent needs. The SWD will maintain liaison with the affected households to provide all necessary assistance while fully supporting the relief work of the Government.

Accommodation support

As of December 9, a total of 1 431 residents have been accommodated, through the co-ordination of the Home and Youth Affairs Bureau, in youth hostels, camps, or hotel rooms. Another 2 530 residents are currently living in transitional housing units provided by the Housing Bureau or units from the Hong Kong Housing Society. Moreover, the Tai Po District Office continues to operate a temporary shelter at Tai Po Community Centre, which remains open to residents in need. The other temporary shelter at Tung Cheong Street Community Hall will remain in operation until the existing users have relocated to arranged emergency accommodations.

Relief supplies and donations

The supplies donation online platform, established by the Government and the information technology sector, continues to operate, facilitating the registration of supplies donations from organizations and the public. The Government has so far received over 1 700 registrations, of which approximately 30 per cent were submitted by organizations, whereas the others were contributed by the public. The various registered donation items include food and beverages, clothing, daily necessities, bedding, and electrical appliances. The Government is actively assessing residents' actual needs through the relevant policy bureau, government departments, and service organizations for the matching of donated supplies in order to distribute appropriate items in phases to places in need. So far, over 16 000 pieces of donation items covering various categories have been distributed to different places. The matching and distribution of supplies will continue.