As Hong Kong grapples with the worst fire in the city for more than 60 years, hundreds of its residents have stepped up to try and help the displaced victims.
As night fell on Thursday, dozens of volunteers in an outdoor plaza near the Wang Fuk Court Complex in Tai Po handed out barbecued pork buns, instant noodles and hot water. Others sorted blankets, clothes and bottled water that were arriving by the boxful. Students, some in their school uniforms, walked around offering hand warmers and bananas.
Many across the city have joined chat groups, volunteering to be drivers or “foot soldiers,” to transport the supplies that are flowing into the area. Others have created a live online tracker to show the status of each housing unit in the complex, where dark smoke was still rising more than a day after the fire started.
In Tai Po, dozens of small business owners have offered their shops to be used as collection centers for the donations, where people can sift through clothing and other items. Outside the Tai Po subway station, young volunteers sorted through supplies and formed human chains to load them onto cars and vans to transport them to the distribution centers and other locations where they are being handed out.
Francis Yu, a toy seller in her thirties, said that she woke up on Thursday and saw a message that Tai Po was out of bananas. She bought as many as she could from two fruit vendors in Sha Tin, the nearby neighborhood where she lives, and dropped them off at a kebab shop that was being used to sort the donations.
Ms. Yu said she picked up more supplies and followed directions from other volunteers on where to take them, based on the needs of each location.
“Hong Kongers can do incredible things when united,” she said, adding that a taxi driver had given her a free ride. “It feels heartwarming.”
Anya Chan, a 35-year-old clinical assistant, went to help distribute the donations to where they were most needed, based on the messages she was receiving online. “The news made me very sad,” she said. “I wanted to help out in any way I could.”
Tiffany May is a reporter based in Hong Kong, covering the politics, business and culture of the city and the broader region.
The post Hong Kongers Volunteer Goods and Time to Help Fire Victims appeared first on New York Times.
