Mayor Leading Rebuilding Efforts at Storm Melissa's Ground Zero
This local leader of Black River – a community described as “the epicenter” for the devastating storm – has shared the monstrous storm surges and widespread devastation wrought by the catastrophe.
Speaking on the harrowing experience, the mayor recalled riding out the intense hurricane at an emergency operating centre.
“The entire town of this area is in ruins,” he said. “The destruction is so catastrophic that the national leader classified this area as the worst-hit zone.”
Five individuals from the town are confirmed to have died, but the mayor mentioned receiving word of other fatalities that are still being verified due to communication and transportation challenges.
“The hurricane arrived around 8 a.m. and lasted for around several hours, during which we were battered with strong gusts and torrential rainfall,” he explained.
“We experienced 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 more, because we were on the upper level, and frankly, when we saw the water climbing, it was a scary moment for us.”
The mayor stated that Black River, situated in the severely affected southwest parish of St Elizabeth, is without running water and electricity, and the majority of buildings have lost their roofing. One official previously characterized the town as under water, with over half a million residents lacking electricity. A mudslide has blocked the main roads of a nearby area, where roadways have been reduced to mud pits. Locals are now sweeping water from their homes and attempting to rescue their possessions.
Rescue efforts and evaluations have proven almost impossible because all the town’s vehicles and essential facilities such as firefighting, police, hospitals and supermarkets were “severely 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.
“My vehicle was completely submerged by water. The roofing was lost, so I fully grasp the suffering that persons are feeling, but what is a priority for me now is to focus on getting aid relief for the most at-risk at this time,” he says.
Solomon estimates that it will take millions of Jamaican dollars to rebuild the community after the hurricane's destruction. For now, 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 relief supplies in. The majority of our supermarkets, if not all, were impacted negatively so they will be unable to provide supplies to persons who are in need at this time,” he adds.
National leadership has witnessed the damage first-hand, with an flyover of the area revealing 80 to 90% of buildings in the area had been destroyed.
“It is going to be a enormous undertaking to rebuild this historic town. But although it is destroyed, we can vision a tomorrow of it emerging more resilient and improved,” he informed local media.
“We will get it done. So maintain the optimism, remain hopeful, and we will overcome this challenge, and we will rebuild better,” he affirmed.
