City Leader Leading Recovery Work at Hurricane Melissa's Worst-Hit Area
The local leader of the town of Black River – an area described as “ground zero” for the devastating storm – has shared the monstrous flooding and widespread devastation caused by the disaster.
Reflecting on the harrowing ordeal, the mayor recalled riding out the Category 5 storm at an emergency response center.
“The entire town of this area is in ruins,” he said. “The destruction is so catastrophic that the prime minister designated this area as the worst-hit zone.”
Five individuals from the town are confirmed to have died, but Solomon mentioned hearing reports of other deaths that are still being verified due to connectivity and travel difficulties.
“Storm Melissa arrived around 8 a.m. and lasted for around nine hours, during which we were battered with strong gusts and torrential rainfall,” he added.
“We experienced up to 4.8 metres of water at the emergency operating centre. It was a bit scary for us, and we were praying that it would not rise any more, because we were on the second floor, and frankly, when we saw the water rising, it was a scary experience for us.”
The mayor stated that Black River, situated in the hard-hit south-western region of St Elizabeth, is lacking water and power, and most buildings have had their roofs. One official previously characterized the town as flooded, with more than half a million residents lacking electricity. A landslide has blocked the main roads of Santa Cruz, where roadways have been turned to mud pits. Residents are now removing water from their houses and attempting to rescue their belongings.
Search and rescue operations and evaluations have proven almost impossible because every one of the town’s transport and critical services such as fire, police, hospitals and grocery stores were “severely damaged,” notes Solomon.
The mayor is now concentrating on trying to assist the most vulnerable, while also dealing with the individual toll of the devastation.
“My vehicle was totally covered by water. The roofing went, so I fully grasp the suffering that people are feeling, but what is a key focus for me now is to concentrate on getting assistance for the most at-risk at this point,” he explains.
Solomon estimates that it will take millions of Jamaican dollars to restore Black River after the hurricane's destruction. For now, he states, the main goal is removing debris from impassable roads, which have cut off the town.
“We are now trying to clear the main roads and secondary routes here so that we can get relief supplies in. The majority of our stores, if not all, were impacted negatively so they will be unable to provide supplies to persons who are in need at this time,” he says.
National leadership has seen the devastation personally, with an flyover of the region revealing the vast majority of buildings in the area had been destroyed.
“This will be a enormous undertaking to rebuild Black River. But although it is damaged, we can envision a future of it emerging stronger and improved,” he told reporters.
“It will be accomplished. So maintain the optimism, remain hopeful, and we will get through this, and we will reconstruct stronger,” he affirmed.
