City Leader Leading Recovery Work at Storm Melissa's Epicenter
The mayor of the town of Black River – an area referred to as “ground zero” for the devastating storm – has shared the monstrous storm surges and widespread devastation wrought by the disaster.
Speaking on the traumatic ordeal, the mayor described enduring the Category 5 hurricane at an emergency operating centre.
“The entire town of this area is in ruins,” he stated. “The destruction is so severe that the prime minister classified this area as the worst-hit zone.”
Five individuals from Black River are confirmed dead, but the mayor mentioned receiving word of additional deaths that are still being verified due to connectivity and transportation difficulties.
“The hurricane arrived around eight in the morning and continued for around nine hours, during which we were battered with heavy winds and torrential rainfall,” he added.
“We experienced up to 4.8 metres of flooding at the response center. It was a bit scary for us, and we were hoping that it would not rise any further, because we were on the upper level, and frankly, when we saw the water rising, it was a scary experience for us.”
Solomon stated that the town, situated in the hard-hit southwest parish of St Elizabeth, is without running water and power, and most buildings have lost their roofs. An authority previously described the town as under water, with over half a million inhabitants without power. A landslide has obstructed the main roads of Santa Cruz, where streets have been turned to mud pits. Locals are now removing water from their homes and attempting to salvage their belongings.
Search and rescue operations and evaluations have proven almost impossible because every one of the town’s vehicles and essential facilities such as fire, police, hospitals and supermarkets were “severely damaged,” notes the mayor.
The mayor is now concentrating on trying to help the most vulnerable, while also dealing with the individual toll of the devastation.
“The mayor's car was totally covered by water. My roof was lost, so I fully grasp the pain that persons are feeling, but what is a priority for me now is to focus on securing assistance for the most vulnerable at this point,” he explains.
The mayor estimates that it will take millions of local currency to rebuild Black River after the hurricane's destruction. For now, he states, the priority is removing debris from blocked routes, which have cut off the town.
“We are now trying to get the main roads and secondary routes 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 time,” he adds.
National leadership has witnessed the damage first-hand, with an flyover of the region revealing 80 to 90% of roofs in the area had been destroyed.
“It is going to be a massive undertaking to rebuild this historic town. But although it is destroyed, we can envision a future of it emerging stronger and better,” he informed reporters.
“We will get it done. So maintain the optimism, keep hope alive, and we will overcome this challenge, and we will rebuild better,” he affirmed.
