Students are among the volunteers helping residents who lost their homes to a deadly fire in a Tai Po estate.
On the third day of rescue efforts, emergency workers are extinguishing the remaining flames and looking for residents. Hundreds of people are staying in temporary shelters. They have been relying on help from volunteers and aid workers.
Two volunteers are university students, Alphon Fung, 20, and Todd Hu, 19. They are certified in first aid. They perform basic health checks and keep an eye on vulnerable residents.
“We’re checking in on nearby elderly residents, especially those who might have lost medication or have chronic conditions. We help record their blood pressure and pass the information to government departments for follow-up,” Fung said. He is studying nursing.
“They get cold or their blood pressure drops or spikes,” Hu said. “So we check on them, talk to them, and if anything seems wrong, we alert the medical staff.”
Hu began volunteering on Wednesday night when the fire began, returning with Fung on Thursday.
Fung added that while official emergency resources were stretched thin, the community could fill the gaps.
“The power of ordinary people is limitless,” Fung said.
