City Leader Guiding Rebuilding Work at Storm Melissa's Ground Zero
The mayor of Black River – a community referred to as “the epicenter” for the devastating storm – has detailed the immense flooding and widespread destruction caused by the catastrophe.
Reflecting on the harrowing ordeal, the mayor recalled riding out the Category 5 hurricane at an emergency operating centre.
“The entire town of Black River is in ruins,” he stated. “The destruction is so catastrophic that the prime minister designated this area as ground zero.”
Five individuals from Black River are reported to have died, but the mayor noted hearing reports of other deaths that remain unconfirmed due to connectivity and transportation difficulties.
“The hurricane came around eight in the morning and lasted for around several hours, during which we were pounded with strong gusts and torrential rainfall,” he explained.
“We experienced up to 16ft of flooding at the emergency operating centre. That was a bit scary for us, and we were hoping 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, located in the hard-hit southwest parish of St Elizabeth, is without water and power, and most buildings have lost their roofs. One official previously characterized the town as under water, with more than half a million residents lacking electricity. A landslide has obstructed the primary routes of Santa Cruz, where roadways have been turned to muddy tracks. Residents are now removing water from their houses and attempting to salvage their possessions.
Rescue efforts and damage assessments have proven extremely difficult because every one of the town’s transport and critical services such as firefighting, law enforcement, medical centers and grocery stores were “immensely damaged,” says the mayor.
He is now concentrating on working to help the most vulnerable, while also coping with the individual toll of the disaster.
“The mayor's car was completely submerged by water. The roofing went, so I fully grasp the pain that people are experiencing, but what is a key focus for me now is to focus on getting aid relief for the most vulnerable at this point,” he explains.
Solomon believes that it will take millions of Jamaican dollars to rebuild Black River after Melissa’s destruction. For now, he states, the main goal is removing debris from impassable roads, which have isolated the town.
“Efforts are underway to get the major thoroughfares and secondary routes here so that we can get relief supplies in. The majority of our stores, if not all, were impacted negatively so they won’t be able to offer goods to individuals who are in need at this time,” he says.
National leadership has seen the damage first-hand, with an aerial tour of the area revealing the vast majority of buildings in the area had been lost.
“It is going to be a massive undertaking to rebuild Black River. But while it is destroyed, we can envision a future of it emerging stronger and better,” he informed local media.
“We will get it done. So maintain the optimism, keep hope alive, and we will get through this, and we will reconstruct stronger,” he affirmed.
