City Leader Guiding Rebuilding Efforts at Hurricane Melissa's Epicenter
The mayor of Black River – an area referred to as “ground zero” for Hurricane Melissa – has shared the monstrous storm surges and extensive devastation wrought by the disaster.
Reflecting on the traumatic experience, Richard Solomon 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 severe that the prime minister designated this area as ground zero.”
Several people from Black River are confirmed to have died, but Solomon mentioned receiving word of additional deaths that are still being verified due to connectivity and transportation difficulties.
“Storm Melissa arrived around eight in the morning and continued for around several hours, during which we were battered with strong gusts and torrential rainfall,” he explained.
“We experienced up to 4.8 metres of flooding at the emergency operating centre. It was a bit scary for us, and we were hoping 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 terrifying moment for us.”
Solomon explained that the town, located in the hard-hit south-western parish of St Elizabeth, is without water and power, and most buildings have had their roofs. One official earlier described the town as under water, with more than half a million inhabitants lacking electricity. A landslide has obstructed the main roads of Santa Cruz, where roadways have been turned to mud pits. Locals are now removing water from their homes and attempting to rescue their possessions.
Rescue efforts and evaluations have proven extremely difficult because every one of the town’s vehicles and critical services such as firefighting, law enforcement, medical centers and supermarkets were “severely damaged,” notes the mayor.
He is now focused on trying to help the neediest residents, while also coping with the individual toll of the disaster.
“The mayor's car was totally covered by water. My roof went, so I do understand the suffering that persons are feeling, but what is a priority for me now is to concentrate on getting assistance for the most vulnerable at this point,” he says.
Solomon estimates that it will take millions of local currency to restore Black River after Melissa’s destruction. At present, he states, the priority is removing debris from impassable roads, which have cut off the town.
“We are now trying to clear the major thoroughfares and critical lateral roads here so that we can deliver aid in. Most of our stores, if not all, were severely affected so they will be unable to provide supplies to individuals who are in dire straits at this moment,” he adds.
National leadership has witnessed the devastation first-hand, with an aerial tour of the area revealing 80 to 90% of roofs in the area had been lost.
“It is going to be a massive task to restore this historic town. But while it is destroyed, we can vision a future of it rising more resilient and improved,” he told local media.
“We will get it done. So keep the optimism, remain hopeful, and we will get through this, and we will reconstruct stronger,” he said.
