Mayor Leading Rebuilding Work at Hurricane Melissa's Ground Zero
The local leader of Black River – an area described as “the epicenter” for the devastating storm – has shared the monstrous storm surges and extensive devastation wrought by the disaster.
Reflecting on the harrowing experience, Richard Solomon described riding out the Category 5 hurricane at an emergency response center.
“Our community of Black River is devastated,” he said. “And that devastation is so catastrophic that the prime minister classified this area as ground zero.”
Five individuals from Black River are reported dead, but Solomon mentioned hearing reports of additional deaths that are still being verified due to connectivity and transportation challenges.
“Storm Melissa came around 8 a.m. and continued for around nine hours, during which we were pounded with heavy winds and a lot of rain,” he added.
“We experienced up to 4.8 metres of water at the emergency operating centre. It 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 frankly, when we saw the water rising, it was a terrifying moment for us.”
The mayor stated that Black River, located in the hard-hit southwest parish of St Elizabeth, is lacking water and power, and most buildings have lost their roofing. An authority previously described the town as under water, with over half a million residents without power. A landslide has blocked the primary routes of a nearby area, where roadways have been reduced to muddy tracks. Locals are now removing water from their homes and trying to rescue their possessions.
Search and rescue operations and evaluations have proven extremely difficult because every one of the town’s vehicles and critical services such as fire, law enforcement, hospitals and supermarkets were “immensely damaged,” says Solomon.
The mayor is now concentrating on trying to assist the neediest residents, while also dealing with the individual toll of the disaster.
“My vehicle was completely covered by water. The roofing went, so I do understand the suffering that people are feeling, but what is a priority for me now is to concentrate on securing assistance for the most at-risk at this point,” he says.
Solomon estimates that it will take millions of Jamaican dollars to restore Black River after Melissa’s destruction. For now, he says, the priority is clearing blocked routes, which have isolated the town.
“Efforts are underway to clear the main roads and critical lateral roads here so that we can get aid in. Most of our supermarkets, if not all, were impacted negatively so they will be unable to provide supplies to persons who are in dire straits at this time,” he says.
The prime minister has seen the damage first-hand, with an flyover of the area revealing the vast majority of buildings in the area had been lost.
“It is going to be a enormous undertaking to rebuild Black River. But although it is damaged, we can vision a tomorrow of it rising stronger and improved,” he told reporters.
“We will get it done. So keep the positive outlook, keep hope alive, and we will get through this, and we will reconstruct stronger,” he said.
