City Leader Guiding Recovery Work at Hurricane Melissa's Ground Zero
The mayor of the town of Black River – an area described as “the epicenter” for Hurricane Melissa – has detailed the monstrous flooding and extensive destruction wrought by the catastrophe.
Reflecting on the traumatic ordeal, Richard Solomon recalled enduring the intense hurricane at an emergency response center.
“Our community of this area is in ruins,” he said. “The destruction is so catastrophic that the national leader classified this area as the worst-hit zone.”
Five individuals from Black River are reported dead, but the mayor noted hearing reports of other fatalities that remain unconfirmed due to communication and travel difficulties.
“Storm Melissa arrived around 8 a.m. and lasted for around several hours, during which we were battered with strong gusts and a lot of rain,” he added.
“We experienced up to 4.8 metres of water at the emergency operating centre. That was a bit scary for us, and we were hoping that it would not increase any further, because we were on the upper level, and frankly, when we saw the water climbing, it was a terrifying moment for us.”
The mayor explained that the town, situated in the hard-hit southwest region of the area, is without water and power, and the majority of structures have had their roofs. An authority previously described the town as under water, with over 500,000 inhabitants lacking electricity. A landslide has obstructed the main roads of Santa Cruz, where streets have been reduced to mud pits. Residents are now sweeping water from their homes and trying to rescue their belongings.
Rescue efforts and damage assessments have proven extremely difficult because every one of the town’s transport and essential facilities such as fire, law enforcement, medical centers and supermarkets were “severely damaged,” says the mayor.
The mayor is now focused on trying to assist the neediest residents, while also coping with the individual toll of the devastation.
“My vehicle was totally submerged by water. The roofing was lost, so I do understand the pain 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 Jamaican dollars to rebuild Black River after the hurricane's annihilation. At present, he states, the main goal 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 relief supplies in. The majority of our stores, if not all, were impacted negatively so they won’t be able to offer goods to individuals who are in dire straits at this time,” he adds.
The prime minister has witnessed the devastation first-hand, with an aerial tour of the region revealing 80 to 90% of buildings in the area had been destroyed.
“This will be a enormous undertaking to restore Black River. But while it is destroyed, we can envision a tomorrow of it rising more resilient and better,” he informed reporters.
“It will be accomplished. So keep the optimism, keep hope alive, and we will get through this, and we will reconstruct stronger,” he said.
