Mayor Leading Recovery Work at Hurricane Melissa's Worst-Hit Area
The mayor of Black River – an area referred to as “ground zero” for the devastating storm – has detailed the monstrous storm surges and extensive devastation wrought by the catastrophe.
Reflecting on the harrowing experience, the mayor recalled riding out the intense hurricane at an emergency response center.
“The entire town of Black River is in ruins,” he stated. “The destruction is so severe that the national leader designated this area as the worst-hit zone.”
Several people from Black River are reported dead, but the mayor noted receiving word of other fatalities that are still being verified due to connectivity and travel challenges.
“Storm Melissa came around eight in the morning and continued for around nine hours, during which we were battered with strong gusts and a lot of rain,” he explained.
“We experienced up to 4.8 metres of flooding at the response center. It was a frightening moment for us, and we were hoping that it would not rise any more, because we were on the second floor, and I tell you, when we saw the water climbing, it was a scary experience for us.”
Solomon stated that the town, located in the severely affected southwest region of St Elizabeth, is without running water and electricity, and most structures have had their roofing. One official previously described the town as flooded, with more than 500,000 residents lacking electricity. A mudslide has obstructed the primary routes of Santa Cruz, where roadways have been reduced to mud pits. Residents are now sweeping water from their homes and trying to salvage their belongings.
Rescue efforts and damage assessments have proven extremely difficult because every one of the town’s transport and critical services such as firefighting, police, hospitals and supermarkets were “immensely damaged,” says the mayor.
He is now concentrating on trying to help the most vulnerable, while also dealing with the individual toll of the disaster.
“My vehicle was totally covered by water. My roof was lost, so I fully grasp the suffering that people are feeling, but what is a key focus for me now is to focus on getting assistance for the most vulnerable at this point,” he says.
Solomon believes that it will take millions of local currency to restore the community after the hurricane's destruction. For now, he states, the main goal is clearing blocked routes, which have cut off the town.
“Efforts are underway to clear the main roads and secondary routes here so that we can get relief supplies in. Most 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 moment,” he says.
National leadership has witnessed the devastation personally, with an flyover of the area showing the vast majority of buildings in the area had been lost.
“This will be a massive task to restore Black River. But while it is destroyed, we can vision a future of it emerging stronger and better,” he informed local media.
“We will get it done. So keep the positive outlook, keep hope alive, and we will get through this, and we will rebuild better,” he affirmed.
