Mayor Guiding Recovery Work at Hurricane Melissa's Ground Zero
This local leader of Black River – an area described as “the epicenter” for Hurricane Melissa – has detailed the monstrous storm surges and widespread devastation caused by the catastrophe.
Speaking on the harrowing experience, Richard Solomon described enduring the Category 5 storm at an emergency operating centre.
“Our community of this area is in ruins,” he said. “And that devastation is so catastrophic that the prime minister designated this area as ground zero.”
Five individuals from the town are confirmed dead, but Solomon noted hearing reports of other fatalities that remain unconfirmed due to communication and travel challenges.
“The hurricane came around eight in the morning and lasted for around several hours, during which we were pounded with strong gusts and a lot of rain,” he added.
“We got up to 16ft of flooding at the response center. It was a frightening moment for us, and we were praying 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 moment for us.”
The mayor stated that Black River, situated in the hard-hit southwest parish of St Elizabeth, is lacking running water and power, and most structures have had their roofs. One official earlier characterized the town as flooded, with over 500,000 inhabitants lacking electricity. A landslide has obstructed the main roads of a nearby area, where roadways have been turned to muddy tracks. Residents are now removing water from their homes and trying to rescue their belongings.
Search and rescue operations and evaluations have proven almost impossible because all the town’s vehicles and critical services such as fire, law enforcement, medical centers and supermarkets were “immensely damaged,” notes the mayor.
The mayor is now concentrating on trying to assist the most vulnerable, while also dealing with the personal impact of the devastation.
“My vehicle was totally submerged by water. My roof went, so I fully grasp the pain that persons are feeling, but what is a key focus for me now is to focus on securing aid relief for the most at-risk at this time,” he says.
The mayor believes that it will take billions of local currency to rebuild the community after Melissa’s destruction. For now, he states, the priority is clearing blocked routes, which have cut off the town.
“Efforts are underway to get the major thoroughfares and critical lateral roads here so that we can deliver aid in. The majority of our supermarkets, if not all, were impacted negatively so they won’t be able to offer goods to persons who are in dire straits at this time,” he adds.
National leadership has witnessed the devastation personally, with an flyover of the region showing the vast majority of buildings in the area had been lost.
“It is going to be a enormous undertaking to rebuild Black River. But although it is damaged, we can envision a tomorrow of it emerging more resilient and improved,” he told reporters.
“We will get it done. So keep the positive outlook, keep hope alive, and we will get through this, and we will reconstruct stronger,” he affirmed.
