Mayor Leading Recovery Efforts at Hurricane Melissa's Ground Zero
The mayor of Black River – an area referred to as “ground zero” for Hurricane Melissa – has shared the immense storm surges and widespread devastation caused by the disaster.
Reflecting on the traumatic ordeal, Richard Solomon recalled enduring the intense storm at an emergency operating centre.
“Our community of Black River is devastated,” he said. “The destruction is so catastrophic that the prime minister classified this area as ground zero.”
Several people from the town are reported to have died, but Solomon mentioned hearing reports of other deaths that are still being verified due to communication and travel challenges.
“The hurricane came around 8 a.m. and continued for around several hours, during which we were pounded with heavy winds and a lot of rain,” he added.
“We got 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 increase any more, because we were on the second floor, and frankly, when we saw the water climbing, it was a terrifying moment for us.”
Solomon explained that Black River, situated in the hard-hit south-western region of St Elizabeth, is without water and electricity, and the majority of structures have had their roofing. An authority previously described the town as flooded, with over half a million inhabitants without power. A landslide has blocked the primary routes of a nearby area, where roadways have been reduced to muddy tracks. Locals are now sweeping water from their homes and trying to salvage their belongings.
Rescue efforts and damage assessments have proven almost impossible because all the town’s vehicles and essential facilities such as firefighting, law enforcement, medical centers and supermarkets were “severely damaged,” notes the mayor.
He is now focused on trying to assist the most vulnerable, while also coping with the individual toll of the disaster.
“My vehicle was totally submerged by water. My roof was lost, so I fully grasp the pain that persons are feeling, but what is a key focus for me now is to focus on getting assistance for the most vulnerable at this point,” he says.
The mayor estimates that it will take billions of local currency to restore the community after the hurricane's annihilation. For now, he states, the main goal is removing debris from blocked routes, which have cut off the town.
“Efforts are underway to clear the major thoroughfares and critical lateral roads here so that we can get aid in. The majority of our supermarkets, if not all, were severely affected so they won’t be able to offer goods to persons who are in dire straits at this time,” he says.
The prime minister has witnessed the devastation first-hand, with an flyover of the region showing 80 to 90% of roofs in the area had been lost.
“This will be a enormous task to rebuild this historic town. But although it is damaged, we can envision a future of it rising stronger and improved,” he told local media.
“It will be accomplished. So maintain the positive outlook, remain hopeful, and we will get through this, and we will reconstruct stronger,” he said.
