City Leader Guiding Recovery Efforts at Storm Melissa's Worst-Hit Area
The mayor of the town of Black River – a community described as “ground zero” for the devastating storm – has detailed the monstrous storm surges and widespread destruction wrought by the catastrophe.
Speaking on the traumatic experience, the mayor described enduring the Category 5 hurricane at an emergency operating centre.
“Our community of this area is devastated,” he stated. “And that devastation is so catastrophic that the national leader designated this area as ground zero.”
Several people from the town are reported dead, but the mayor noted hearing reports of other deaths that remain unconfirmed due to communication and travel challenges.
“The hurricane came around 8 a.m. and continued for around several hours, during which we were battered with heavy winds and torrential rainfall,” he explained.
“We got up to 4.8 metres of flooding at the emergency operating centre. That was a frightening moment 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 rising, it was a scary moment for us.”
The mayor explained that Black River, situated in the hard-hit south-western region of St Elizabeth, is without water and electricity, and the majority of buildings have lost their roofing. One official earlier characterized the town as under water, with more than half a million residents lacking electricity. A mudslide has obstructed the main roads of Santa Cruz, where roadways have been reduced to mud pits. Residents are now removing water from their houses and trying to rescue their belongings.
Rescue efforts and damage assessments have proven almost impossible because every one of the town’s transport and critical services such as firefighting, law enforcement, hospitals and grocery stores were “severely damaged,” says Solomon.
The mayor is now concentrating on trying to assist the most vulnerable, while also dealing with the individual toll of the disaster.
“My vehicle was totally covered by water. My roof went, so I fully grasp the pain that persons are experiencing, but what is a key focus for me now is to focus on getting assistance for the most at-risk at this time,” he explains.
Solomon believes that it will take billions of Jamaican dollars to restore Black River after the hurricane's destruction. At present, he states, the priority is clearing impassable roads, which have isolated the town.
“Efforts are underway to clear the main roads and secondary routes here so that we can deliver aid in. The majority of our supermarkets, if not all, were impacted negatively so they will be unable to offer goods to persons who are in need at this time,” he says.
National leadership has seen the devastation first-hand, with an aerial tour of the region showing the vast majority of roofs in the area had been lost.
“This will be a massive undertaking to rebuild Black River. But although it is destroyed, we can vision a future of it rising more resilient and improved,” he told reporters.
“We will get it done. So keep the positive outlook, keep hope alive, and we will overcome this challenge, and we will reconstruct stronger,” he said.
