Domestic helper Siti Zulaikho has only one word to describe her life after Hong Kong’s worst fire in decades turned everything upside down: “chaotic.”
The 41-year-old Indonesian was among more than 200 domestic helpers living at Wang Fuk Court when the 43-hour blaze broke out on November 26, engulfing seven of the housing estate’s eight buildings and killing 161 people.
Over the past month, she has relocated with her employers four times – first to a shelter, then to a hotel, and then to transitional housing in Yuen Long and Fan Ling. Soon, they will be moving yet again to new accommodation in Tuen Mun.
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“I am physically tired, and my mind is also tired,” she said. “I cannot sleep soundly.”
Like others, she lost everything in the fire, save for the phone and ID card she had on her when she narrowly escaped from Wang Shing House. She has relied on a network of NGOs, the government and her local consulate to help her rebuild her life.
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On a recent Sunday, she was among dozens of Indonesian survivors who lined up to get suitcases of supplies, shoes and other aid offered by six local NGOs.