Mayor Guiding Rebuilding Work at Hurricane Melissa's Ground Zero
The local leader of Black River – an area referred to as “the epicenter” for Hurricane Melissa – has detailed the monstrous flooding and extensive devastation wrought by the disaster.
Speaking on the traumatic experience, Richard Solomon described riding out the intense storm at an emergency response center.
“Our community of this area is devastated,” he said. “The destruction is so severe that the prime minister designated this area as the worst-hit zone.”
Several people from Black River are confirmed dead, but the mayor noted receiving word of other fatalities that remain unconfirmed due to connectivity and transportation challenges.
“Storm Melissa came around eight in the morning and lasted for around nine hours, during which we were pounded with strong gusts and a lot of rain,” he explained.
“We experienced up to 4.8 metres of water at the response center. That was a bit scary for us, and we were praying 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 terrifying experience for us.”
The mayor stated that the town, situated in the severely affected south-western parish of the area, is without water and power, and most buildings have had their roofs. An authority earlier described the town as flooded, with over 500,000 residents without power. A mudslide has obstructed the primary routes of a nearby area, where roadways have been reduced to muddy tracks. Residents are now sweeping water from their houses and attempting to salvage their belongings.
Search and rescue operations and damage assessments have proven extremely difficult because all the town’s vehicles and critical services such as firefighting, police, medical centers and grocery stores were “immensely damaged,” notes Solomon.
The mayor is now concentrating on working to help the most vulnerable, while also coping with the individual toll of the devastation.
“My vehicle was totally submerged by water. My roof was lost, so I do understand the suffering that persons are experiencing, but what is a priority for me now is to concentrate on getting aid relief for the most vulnerable at this point,” he says.
Solomon believes that it will take billions of Jamaican dollars to restore Black River after the hurricane's annihilation. At present, he states, the main goal is clearing blocked routes, which have cut off the town.
“Efforts are underway to get the main roads and critical lateral roads here so that we can deliver relief supplies in. Most of our supermarkets, if not all, were severely affected so they will be unable to provide supplies to individuals who are in dire straits at this time,” he says.
The prime minister has witnessed the damage personally, with an aerial tour of the region showing 80 to 90% of roofs in the area had been lost.
“It is going to be a enormous undertaking to restore this historic town. But although it is destroyed, we can vision a tomorrow of it emerging stronger and improved,” he told reporters.
“We will get it done. So maintain the positive outlook, remain hopeful, and we will get through this, and we will reconstruct stronger,” he affirmed.
