Mayor Leading Recovery Efforts at Hurricane Melissa's Worst-Hit Area
This local leader of Black River – an area referred to as “ground zero” for the devastating storm – has detailed the immense flooding and widespread destruction caused by the disaster.
Reflecting on the traumatic ordeal, the mayor recalled riding out the intense hurricane at an emergency response center.
“The entire town of Black River is devastated,” he said. “The destruction is so severe that the prime minister classified this area as the worst-hit zone.”
Five individuals from the town are confirmed dead, but Solomon noted receiving word of other fatalities that are still being verified due to communication and transportation challenges.
“Storm Melissa arrived around eight in the morning and lasted for around nine hours, during which we were pounded with heavy winds and torrential rainfall,” he explained.
“We got up to 4.8 metres of water at the response center. It was a bit scary for us, and we were praying that it would not increase 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 explained that Black River, located in the hard-hit southwest parish of St Elizabeth, is lacking running water and power, and most structures have had their roofs. An authority previously described the town as under water, with over 500,000 residents without power. 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 houses and trying to salvage their belongings.
Search and rescue operations and damage assessments have become almost impossible because all the town’s vehicles and critical services such as firefighting, police, medical centers and supermarkets were “immensely damaged,” notes the mayor.
The mayor is now concentrating on working to assist the most vulnerable, while also coping with the individual toll of the disaster.
“The mayor's car was totally submerged by water. My roof was lost, so I do understand the pain that persons are feeling, but what is a priority for me now is to concentrate on getting aid relief for the most at-risk at this point,” he explains.
The mayor believes that it will take billions of Jamaican dollars to rebuild Black River after Melissa’s destruction. At present, he says, the priority is clearing blocked routes, which have cut off the town.
“Efforts are underway to clear the main roads and critical lateral roads here so that we can deliver relief supplies in. The majority of our stores, if not all, were severely affected so they will be unable to offer goods to individuals who are in need at this moment,” he says.
The prime minister has seen the damage first-hand, with an aerial tour of the area showing 80 to 90% of roofs in the area had been lost.
“It is going to be a enormous task to rebuild this historic town. But while it is damaged, we can envision a future of it rising more resilient and improved,” he told reporters.
“It will be accomplished. So keep the optimism, keep hope alive, and we will get through this, and we will rebuild better,” he said.
