Mayor Guiding Recovery Work at Hurricane Melissa's Worst-Hit Area
The local leader of Black River – a community described as “ground zero” for Hurricane Melissa – has shared the monstrous storm surges and widespread destruction wrought by the disaster.
Speaking on the harrowing experience, the mayor recalled enduring the Category 5 storm at an emergency response center.
“Our community of this area is devastated,” he said. “And that devastation is so catastrophic that the national leader designated this area as ground zero.”
Several people from Black River are reported to have died, but Solomon noted receiving word of additional fatalities that are still being verified due to connectivity and transportation difficulties.
“The hurricane came around eight in the morning and continued for around several hours, during which we were battered with strong gusts and a lot of rain,” he added.
“We experienced up to 16ft of water at the emergency operating centre. It was a bit scary for us, and we were hoping that it would not increase any further, because we were on the upper level, and frankly, when we saw the water climbing, it was a scary experience for us.”
The mayor stated that the town, situated in the severely affected southwest parish of St Elizabeth, is without running water and electricity, and most structures have had their roofs. One official earlier characterized the town as flooded, with more than half a million residents without power. A mudslide has obstructed the primary routes of Santa Cruz, where streets have been reduced to muddy tracks. Locals are now sweeping water from their homes and attempting to salvage their possessions.
Search and rescue operations and evaluations have become extremely difficult because all the town’s vehicles and essential facilities such as fire, police, medical centers and grocery stores were “immensely damaged,” says the mayor.
The mayor is now concentrating on working to help the most vulnerable, while also coping with the individual toll of the devastation.
“My vehicle was completely covered by water. My roof was lost, so I fully grasp the suffering that persons are feeling, but what is a priority for me now is to focus on securing aid relief for the most at-risk at this point,” he explains.
Solomon believes that it will take billions of local currency to rebuild Black River after Melissa’s destruction. At present, he says, the priority is removing debris from blocked routes, which have isolated the town.
“Efforts are underway to get the main roads and secondary routes here so that we can deliver aid in. The majority of our stores, if not all, were severely affected so they will be unable to provide supplies to individuals who are in need at this time,” he says.
National leadership has seen the devastation personally, with an aerial tour of the region showing 80 to 90% of buildings in the area had been destroyed.
“This will be a massive undertaking to restore this historic town. But while it is destroyed, we can vision a tomorrow of it rising more resilient and improved,” he told reporters.
“We will get it done. So keep the optimism, remain hopeful, and we will overcome this challenge, and we will rebuild better,” he said.
