City Leader Leading Rebuilding Efforts at Storm Melissa's Worst-Hit Area
The mayor of Black River – a community referred to as “the epicenter” for the devastating storm – has detailed the monstrous flooding and extensive destruction caused by the catastrophe.
Reflecting on the traumatic experience, Richard Solomon described enduring the Category 5 storm at an emergency operating centre.
“The entire town of this area is in ruins,” he said. “The destruction is so catastrophic that the prime minister classified this area as ground zero.”
Five individuals from Black River are reported to have died, but Solomon noted receiving word of additional deaths that are still being verified due to communication and travel difficulties.
“Storm Melissa came around 8 a.m. and lasted for around nine hours, during which we were battered with strong gusts and torrential rainfall,” he added.
“We got up to 16ft of water at the emergency operating centre. That was a bit scary for us, and we were hoping that it would not rise any further, because we were on the second floor, and I tell you, when we saw the water climbing, it was a scary experience for us.”
The mayor explained that the town, located in the hard-hit southwest region of St Elizabeth, is without water and electricity, and most structures have lost their roofing. One official earlier described the town as flooded, with more than half a million inhabitants without power. A landslide has obstructed the primary routes of Santa Cruz, where streets have been turned to muddy tracks. Locals are now sweeping water from their homes and trying to salvage their possessions.
Rescue efforts and damage assessments have become almost impossible because every one of the town’s vehicles and critical services such as firefighting, law enforcement, hospitals and supermarkets were “immensely damaged,” says the mayor.
He is now focused on trying to help the most vulnerable, while also coping with the individual toll of the devastation.
“The mayor's car was completely submerged by water. The roofing was lost, so I do understand the suffering that persons are feeling, but what is a priority for me now is to focus on getting assistance for the most vulnerable at this time,” he says.
The mayor estimates that it will take millions of Jamaican dollars to restore the community after Melissa’s annihilation. For now, he states, the main goal is clearing impassable roads, which have cut off the town.
“We are now trying to get the major thoroughfares 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 will be unable to offer goods to persons who are in need at this time,” he adds.
The prime minister has seen the devastation first-hand, with an aerial tour of the area showing the vast majority of roofs in the area had been destroyed.
“This will be a massive undertaking to rebuild Black River. But although it is damaged, we can vision a future of it rising more resilient and better,” he told local media.
“It will be accomplished. So keep the positive outlook, keep hope alive, and we will get through this, and we will reconstruct stronger,” he said.
