Mayor Leading Rebuilding Efforts at Hurricane Melissa's Epicenter

The local leader of Black River – an area described as “ground zero” for Hurricane Melissa – has shared the immense flooding and widespread destruction wrought by the catastrophe.

Reflecting on the harrowing experience, Richard Solomon described enduring the Category 5 hurricane at an emergency response center.

“The entire town of Black River is devastated,” he said. “And that devastation is so catastrophic that the national leader designated this area as ground zero.”

Several people from the town are reported to have died, but the mayor noted hearing reports of additional fatalities that remain unconfirmed due to connectivity and travel difficulties.

“The hurricane came around eight in the morning and lasted for around nine hours, during which we were battered with heavy winds and a lot of rain,” he added.

“We experienced up to 4.8 metres of flooding at the response center. It was a bit scary for us, and we were hoping that it would not rise any more, because we were on the second floor, and frankly, when we saw the water rising, it was a terrifying experience for us.”

The mayor stated that the town, situated in the severely affected southwest region of St Elizabeth, is without running water and electricity, and the majority of structures have had their roofs. An authority earlier characterized the town as flooded, with over 500,000 residents without power. A landslide has obstructed the primary routes of Santa Cruz, where roadways have been turned to muddy tracks. Locals are now removing water from their homes and attempting to salvage their possessions.

Search and rescue operations and evaluations have become almost impossible because every one of the town’s transport and essential facilities such as fire, police, hospitals and supermarkets were “severely damaged,” says the mayor.

The mayor is now focused on trying to help the neediest residents, while also coping with the individual toll of the disaster.

“My vehicle was completely covered by water. My roof was lost, so I do understand the suffering that persons are experiencing, but what is a priority for me now is to concentrate on getting aid relief for the most vulnerable at this time,” he explains.

Solomon believes that it will take millions of local currency to restore Black River after the hurricane's annihilation. At present, he states, the main goal is removing debris from impassable roads, which have cut off the town.

“Efforts are underway to get 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 won’t be able to offer goods to individuals who are in need at this moment,” he adds.

National leadership has seen the devastation personally, with an flyover of the area revealing 80 to 90% of buildings in the area had been lost.

“This will be a massive task to restore this historic town. But while it is damaged, we can vision a tomorrow of it rising stronger and better,” he informed reporters.

“It will be accomplished. So keep the positive outlook, keep hope alive, and we will get through this, and we will reconstruct stronger,” he affirmed.