The fire in the Kaohsiung City Center Building in the early morning of Thursday (14th) caused nearly 100 deaths and injuries, revealing the long-standing elderly and poverty problems in the area.
More importantly, these disasters occur from time to time in various cities, including Hong Kong. Solving the problem should not only focus on how many new constructions are needed, but at the same time, it is necessary to eradicate social ills.
Most of the dead and injured in this fire were elderly and infirm. According to official statistics, the average age of the dead was 62 years old.
Firefighters discovered that the stairwell was full of debris during the fire fighting. Residents directly criticized that the fire door was demolished and the fire spread. This is a reflection of the lack of management of the building and the neglect of vulnerable elderly.
After the city-in-city building was completed in 1981, department stores, theaters, dance halls, restaurants, and skating rinks were stationed in succession and prospered for a while.
The Yancheng District, where the building is located, was once an administrative district in the city center, which is quite lively.
Later, due to the relocation of the business district and the lack of management of the building, there were repeated fires of various sizes and the prosperity ceased.
The commercial floors are vacant and the interior is dilapidated. The higher floors have become residential buildings and subdivided houses have been set up. Because of the low price and rent, some units sell for only NT$500,000 and rent for only NT$3,000, which attracts old, weak and poor people to move in. .
Local people have already jokingly called the building "Kaohsiung's No. 1 Ghost Building." Government officials have no reason to be ignorant of the chaos inside, but just ignore it.
No wonder Chen Ju, the former mayor of Kaohsiung, left a message of condolences on social media and was blamed by netizens for improving the fire safety of the building and promoting urban renewal without having been in office for many years.
A fire broke out in the "city within a city" of Yancheng, Kaohsiung in the early morning of October 14.
(Screenshots of Facebook/Kaohsiung's big and small things)
After the disaster, shouting for poverty alleviation, but unsustainable
Many media reported that fires are rare in Taiwan. The last time was a fire in a restaurant in Taichung in 1995.
If we broaden our vision a bit, such a fire related to the lower classes of society, an obvious case is the Grenfell Building fire in London in 2017.
The London fire revealed the negligence of the building management unit, the city government ignored complaints from residents, and used flammable materials to reduce costs when renovating the exterior walls, all of which have become a long-term cause of the fire.
Although the Glenfell Building is located in the affluent Kensington district of England, the government and the community have long been able to improve the construction and environment of the building, but the residential safety of the grassroots people has not been taken seriously.
In addition, when Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans in 2005, African Americans suffered far more than whites. For example, the most severely flooded areas were African-American communities. When the government called on residents to evacuate, they did not have the means of transportation and money to leave.
The same is that as time passes, the concern of the people and the government gradually fades, and poverty and racial estrangement persist.
For example, the six families in the London fire still live in transit residences, and there is no permanent residence due to the lack of low-cost social housing in the area.
Looking back at the thousands of old buildings in Hong Kong, many of them also have problems caused by poverty, including subdivided housing, lack of social support for the elderly and the weak, lack of resources to repair properties, and lack of education to manage buildings.
Poverty is accumulated over time and must be resolved with persistence and multi-pronged approach. The role of the government can be said to be overwhelming. Before the next disaster, everyone must have a suitable housing environment, including the smallest living area and the most basic facilities and services.
Eliminating poverty, eliminating disasters and living in peace is an inevitable step
At the beginning of this year, the government proposed to amend the regulations to give the department "the right to enter the venue." First, upgrade the fire safety equipment of old buildings with safety risks, and then charge the owners.
The government has turned passive into active, which is worthy of recognition.
Fire protection and cleaning support can also consider regularization and provide subsidies to encourage owners to participate in building management to witness results.
Furthermore, the public housing sector must step up efforts to promote the rehabilitation or reconstruction of old areas. A low-rent unit has solved many basic life difficulties. For example, it has spare capacity to devote more income to medical treatment and study to improve the quality of life.
People from all walks of life are eager for Hong Kong to end subdivided housing. The purpose behind it is to see the grassroots citizens live in peace.
It is true that the restoration and reconstruction of old buildings will cost the government a lot of resources, but if the expenditure can lift thousands of people out of poverty and poverty in the long run, and reduce potential social hazards, the government is still worth pushing forward.
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