Mayor Leading Recovery Efforts at Hurricane Melissa's Ground Zero
The local leader of the town of Black River – a community referred to as “the epicenter” for the devastating storm – has detailed the monstrous storm surges and widespread destruction wrought by the catastrophe.
Reflecting on the harrowing ordeal, the mayor described riding out 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 Solomon mentioned hearing reports of additional deaths that are still being verified due to communication and transportation difficulties.
“Storm Melissa arrived around eight in the morning and continued for around several hours, during which we were pounded with strong gusts and a lot of rain,” he explained.
“We experienced up to 16ft of water at the response center. That was a bit scary for us, and we were hoping that it would not increase any further, 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 southwest region of St Elizabeth, is lacking water and power, and the majority of buildings have had their roofing. One official previously characterized the town as flooded, with over 500,000 residents lacking electricity. A mudslide has blocked the primary routes of a nearby area, where roadways have been reduced to mud pits. Locals are now removing water from their homes and trying to salvage their belongings.
Search and rescue operations and damage assessments have become almost impossible because every one of the town’s vehicles and critical services such as firefighting, police, medical centers and grocery stores were “immensely damaged,” notes Solomon.
He is now concentrating on trying to help the most vulnerable, while also coping with the individual toll of the devastation.
“My vehicle was totally submerged by water. My roof went, so I fully grasp the suffering that people are feeling, but what is a priority for me now is to concentrate on getting assistance for the most at-risk at this time,” he explains.
Solomon estimates that it will take billions of local currency to rebuild the community after Melissa’s annihilation. For now, he says, the priority is removing debris from impassable roads, which have isolated the town.
“We are now trying to clear the major thoroughfares and critical lateral roads here so that we can get relief supplies in. The majority of our supermarkets, 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 witnessed the damage first-hand, with an flyover of the area revealing the vast majority of roofs in the area had been lost.
“It is going to be a massive undertaking to restore this historic town. But while it is damaged, we can vision a tomorrow of it rising stronger and better,” he informed local media.
“We will get it done. So maintain the positive outlook, remain hopeful, and we will get through this, and we will reconstruct stronger,” he said.
