Residents of fire-hit Wang Fuk Court blocks can retrieve belongings from mid-April

Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po.

Photo: Jonathan Wong Displaced residents from the seven fire-ravaged blocks of Hong Kong’s Wang Fuk Court will be allowed to return to their flats for up to three hours to collect their personal belongings, with the first batch to be allowed back on April 20.

Authorities said on Friday that each household could register up to four people to return to their flats, who would be accompanied by police officers, as well as government social workers and support staff.

They added that there would be a “very slim” chance that residents of Wang Chi House, the only block of the estate to be largely undamaged by last November’s massive fire, could return to their homes this year, citing “unexpectedly complicated” repair works.

Under the return arrangement, residents will be able to return on select dates based on which housing block they lived in.

There will be two four-hour sessions each day, running from 9am to 1pm and from 2.30pm to 6.30pm.

Residents will be assigned a specific date and session, and allowed to stay in their flats for up to three hours.

Deputy Chief Secretary Warner Cheuk has said affected residents will only have one opportunity during each block’s return period to collect personal items.

Photo: Karma Lo Deputy Chief Secretary Warner Cheuk Wing-hing said affected residents would only have one opportunity during each block’s return period to collect personal items.

Asked about the three-hour time limit, he said: “Each session lasts about four hours, and residents can have three hours to pick up their things.

If we allow more time, say, six hours, we will take double the time to finish our operation.” “If there are residents who have genuine needs or a very strong desire to go back again to pick up things, they may liaise with [their assigned] social worker, and we will see what we can do.” Depending on the conditions of each flat, as many as four people per household would be allowed to go inside at any one time.

For some flats that had been seriously damaged in the fire, only one person would be allowed to return. “We understand residents’ strong desire to go back and have a look at their home.

But the top concern of the government is to ensure safety and orderliness,” Cheuk said. “I am not prepared to tell residents what they should take back or what they should not.

But it is not like moving home.

If the things are too heavy, residents should also consider safety when they have to walk up and down the stai

原文链接: 南华早报