Mayor Leading Recovery Efforts at Hurricane Melissa's Ground Zero
The mayor of Black River – a community described as “ground zero” for the devastating storm – has shared the immense flooding and extensive destruction wrought by the catastrophe.
Speaking on the traumatic ordeal, Richard Solomon described riding out the intense storm at an emergency response center.
“The entire town of Black River is devastated,” he said. “The destruction is so severe that the national leader classified this area as ground zero.”
Five individuals from the town are confirmed dead, but Solomon noted receiving word of other deaths that are still being verified due to connectivity and travel difficulties.
“The hurricane arrived around 8 a.m. and lasted for around nine hours, during which we were battered with heavy winds and torrential rainfall,” he added.
“We experienced up to 16ft of water at the response center. That was a bit scary for us, and we were hoping that it would not increase any more, because we were on the upper level, and I tell you, when we saw the water climbing, it was a scary experience for us.”
The mayor explained that the town, situated in the severely affected southwest region of St Elizabeth, is lacking water and power, and the majority of structures have had their roofing. An authority earlier described the town as under water, with over 500,000 inhabitants without power. A mudslide has blocked the primary routes of Santa Cruz, where roadways have been reduced to mud pits. Locals are now sweeping water from their homes and attempting to rescue their belongings.
Rescue efforts and evaluations have proven almost impossible because every one of the town’s vehicles and critical services such as fire, law enforcement, hospitals and grocery stores were “severely damaged,” says Solomon.
He is now concentrating on trying to help the neediest residents, while also coping with the individual toll of the disaster.
“My vehicle was totally submerged by water. The roofing went, so I do understand the suffering that persons are experiencing, but what is a key focus for me now is to focus on getting assistance for the most vulnerable at this point,” he explains.
The mayor estimates that it will take billions of Jamaican dollars to rebuild Black River after Melissa’s destruction. At present, he states, the main goal is clearing blocked routes, which have cut off the town.
“Efforts are underway to get the major thoroughfares and critical lateral roads here so that we can deliver relief supplies in. The majority of our supermarkets, if not all, were impacted negatively so they won’t be able to provide supplies to persons who are in dire straits at this moment,” he adds.
National leadership has witnessed the damage personally, with an aerial tour of the area revealing 80 to 90% of buildings in the area had been lost.
“This will be a massive undertaking to rebuild this historic town. But while it is damaged, we can envision a tomorrow of it rising more resilient and better,” he informed local media.
“It will be accomplished. So keep the optimism, keep hope alive, and we will overcome this challenge, and we will reconstruct stronger,” he affirmed.
