Disaster strikes suddenly, and there are always people rushing forward without expecting anything in return; In times of crisis, there is always warmth that unexpectedly illuminates the difficulties. After the Tai Po disaster, Yang Weikun, the person in charge of social services at Huili, relied on multiple post disaster support experiences to lead the team to quickly respond and proactively coordinate within 48 hours. With practical actions, they cooperated with relevant government departments to build a dual defense line of material and spiritual support for the affected people, and wrote about the responsibility and commitment of civil society with professionalism and warmth.
1、 Immediate action upon hearing the news: determine direction based on experience, do not add chaos, only fill positions
At the moment I saw the news, the images of my previous involvement in the post earthquake reconstruction of Wenchuan, support on the day of the Jiali Building fire, and psychological support for the Yau Ma Tei fire instantly flooded my mind. "Yang Weikun said that when he learned about the disaster in Tai Po on the evening of the 26th, he immediately thought of the most urgent need on the scene after the disaster - precise coordination between order and support. Based on his experience in multiple disaster support efforts, he was well aware that "blindly delivering supplies" would exacerbate rescue pressure. That night, he urgently contacted the volunteer leader of Huili, Miss Yanzi, and explicitly requested to "obey unified command and not go to the scene without authorization".
At the same time, through contacting other volunteers on site and receiving photos from them, Yang Weikun judged that there was a gap in material coordination, especially the possibility of confusion and tension in hot food supply. He quickly contacted the assistant commissioner in charge of the Social Welfare Department, Huang Sheng, that evening and confirmed that after arranging the support for the shelter center's hot meals on the morning of the 27th, they would be executed by the Hui Li Yan Zi team. That evening, the cooking and transportation plan for 300 hot meals was directly finalized to ensure that the disaster victims could have hot meals on the morning of the 27th. From learning about the disaster to developing an action plan, in just a few hours, behind the rapid response of Huili is the steady and decisive experience accumulated by social workers and volunteers.
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Photo: Yang Weikun and Tan Dekai host the distribution of hot food inside the shelter center
2、 On site support: precise matching of materials and requirements, warmth in details
On the morning of the 27th, Miss Yanzi led volunteers to the kitchen and busied themselves with the chefs. After cooking 300 hot meals and packing them into boxes, they were sent to various shelters as planned. On the same morning, Yang Weikun and Tan Dekai, social workers, went directly to the shelter center to contact the affected people, listen to their actual needs, and assist in the distribution and coordination of on-site supplies. We will record what we hear and see, and record the needs of the affected people one by one in real time, and then coordinate with the support team and the Social Welfare Department for deployment. Yang Weikun said that post disaster support not only needs to "deliver materials", but also "deliver the right materials", such as clothing, underwear, etc., which will be purchased and supplemented by volunteers on the way to the shelter center contacted by Yanzi.
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Photo: Yang Weikun proactively went to the scene to learn about the materials on site and promptly informed the relevant departments
In the process of material support, Huili always adheres to the principle of "communicating and confirming with government departments before taking action". Starting from the afternoon of the 27th, the Social Welfare Department notified all enthusiastic individuals not to deliver supplies on their own. Huili strictly adheres to the requirements of the Social Welfare Department, and all material allocations are confirmed with the Social Welfare Department first. On that day, in addition to responding to the large supply of masks on Dongchang Street, when the Feng Liangjie Middle School shelter still needed to replenish 2000 masks, the leader of the Hui Li team, Miss Yanzi, arranged for communication within an hour and delivered the masks as requested by the Social Welfare Department. On the morning of the 28th, many families affected by the disaster were anxiously waiting for emergency assistance funds. Yang Weikun and Yanzi Girl coordinated with six core volunteers to actively approach, coordinate the order of the team, and calm everyone's emotions. They patiently explained to dispel doubts, gradually restoring order and calmness to the waiting site.
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Photo: Yang Weikun, a social worker, works with volunteers to assist affected individuals in applying for emergency aid funds
3、 Soul Guardian: Leveraging Professional Strength, Emotional Support is Not Lacking
Post disaster emotional counseling and support often make psychological trauma more difficult to heal than material shortages. "Starting from the evening of the 26th, Yang Weikun immediately contacted Director Wei of the Crisis Management Center of the Samaria Suicide Prevention Association in Hong Kong to maintain communication. A few hours after the fire broke out, we began planning whether the emotions of the affected people could receive timely support. On the morning of the 27th, Director Wei quickly mobilized the first team of 8 social workers to rush to the shelter center to carry out emotional counseling work; That night, another team of 8 people came to take over and provided support until late at night before leaving. Huili Yanzi led 10 senior volunteers and Tan Dekai social worker to gather at the shelter center to assist the social work support team in carrying out emotional support and other work, using companionship to warm the anxious hearts of disaster victims. Finally, Yang Weikun left the scene only after confirming that there were enough volunteers and social workers to take over early on the 28th.
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Photo: Yang Weikun understands the needs in the shelter center
On the afternoon of the 28th, Yang Weikun, a social worker, took over from the support team of the Samaritans and, with the assistance of the Swallow Volunteer Team, introduced community resources for post disaster psychological support to those in need, encouraging them to actively seek help (photo). You are a social worker, so my mind is settled. My mother has been affected and has moved here (in the shelter). She just had a hot meal, "said the daughter of an affected disaster victim to the social worker in the shelter (photo). In addition, President Tang Anying, Supervisor Li Shenggen, and Executive President Yan Xiaoying of the Hong Kong Sichuan Society Association also visited the shelter center to visit the families affected by the disaster, bringing care and condolences.
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Photo: Social worker patiently explains post disaster psychological and emotional support to affected individuals
4、 Collaborative linkage: Civilian forces, government, and industry working together in the same direction
In this 48 hour emergency support operation, Huili Social Services always adhered to the principle of "taking the initiative without overstepping its bounds and providing support without adding to the chaos", and formed efficient linkage with government departments and industry organizations. From proactively contacting the Civil Affairs and Social Security Bureau on the evening of the 26th, to obeying unified command and coordinating materials; From collaborating with professional groups to provide professional psychological support, to supplementing material gaps in response to the needs of the Social Welfare Department, Huili has demonstrated through practical actions that 'private forces are a powerful supplement to government rescue'.
The experience of participating in post disaster support told Yang Weikun that the most important thing for post disaster rescue is to work together. The government has the advantage of overall coordination, civil organizations have the characteristic of flexible response, and the industry has the ability to provide professional services. Only when everyone thinks and works together can we help disaster victims overcome difficulties to the greatest extent possible. Within 48 hours, we provided hot meals, replenished masks, dozens of volunteer social workers and Swallow Volunteer Team support, and psychological and emotional companionship from morning till night, pooling our efforts to warm up every corner of the disaster area with small actions.
Disasters are merciless, but there is love in the world. On the front line of post disaster support in Tai Po, the Huili volunteer team, together with teams from other organizations, completed a fast, precise, and efficient support operation within 48 hours with professionalism, responsibility, and warmth. They not only brought material help, but also spiritual comfort, making the disaster victims feel that they are not fighting alone. This warm power from the people is the most precious foundation of this city.
Afterword: On the third day, Huili actively collaborated and called on social workers, teachers, and volunteers to participate in professional organizations including but not limited to the Tai Po Post Disaster Emotional Support Training Event organized by the Hong Kong Samaritans on December 1st, with over a thousand people attending.
