City Leader Guiding Recovery Work at Hurricane Melissa's Worst-Hit Area
This mayor of the town of Black River – a community described as “ground zero” for the devastating storm – has detailed the monstrous flooding and widespread destruction wrought by the catastrophe.
Reflecting on the traumatic experience, Richard Solomon described enduring the Category 5 storm at an emergency operating centre.
“Our community of Black River is in ruins,” he stated. “And that devastation is so severe that the prime minister classified this area as ground zero.”
Several people from the town are confirmed to have died, but the mayor mentioned receiving word of other fatalities that are still being verified due to connectivity and travel challenges.
“Storm Melissa arrived around eight in the morning and continued for around several hours, during which we were battered with heavy winds and torrential rainfall,” he explained.
“We got up to 4.8 metres of flooding at the emergency operating centre. It was a bit scary for us, and we were praying that it would not increase any more, because we were on the second floor, and frankly, when we saw the water climbing, it was a terrifying moment for us.”
The mayor stated that Black River, located in the hard-hit southwest parish of St Elizabeth, is without running water and power, and the majority of buildings have had their roofs. One official previously described the town as flooded, with over 500,000 inhabitants lacking electricity. A landslide has obstructed the primary routes of Santa Cruz, where roadways have been turned to muddy tracks. Locals are now removing water from their houses and trying to salvage their belongings.
Search and rescue operations and evaluations have become extremely difficult because every one of the town’s vehicles and critical services such as fire, law enforcement, medical centers and grocery stores were “severely damaged,” notes Solomon.
The mayor is now focused on trying to assist the most vulnerable, while also dealing with the personal impact of the disaster.
“My vehicle was totally covered by water. My roof went, so I do understand the pain that persons are experiencing, but what is a key focus for me now is to focus on securing aid relief for the most at-risk at this time,” he says.
The mayor estimates that it will take millions of Jamaican dollars to restore Black River after Melissa’s destruction. For now, he says, the main goal is clearing blocked routes, which have isolated the town.
“Efforts are underway to clear the major thoroughfares and critical lateral roads here so that we can get aid in. The majority of our supermarkets, if not all, were impacted negatively so they will be unable to provide supplies to persons who are in need at this moment,” he adds.
The prime minister has witnessed the devastation personally, with an aerial tour of the area showing 80 to 90% of roofs in the area had been destroyed.
“It is going to be a enormous task to rebuild Black River. But while it is damaged, we can vision a tomorrow of it rising stronger and improved,” he informed local media.
“It will be accomplished. So maintain the optimism, remain hopeful, and we will get through this, and we will reconstruct stronger,” he affirmed.