Mayor Leading Rebuilding Efforts at Storm Melissa's Ground Zero
The mayor of the town of Black River – a community described as “the epicenter” for Hurricane Melissa – has shared the monstrous storm surges and extensive destruction wrought by the catastrophe.
Speaking on the traumatic experience, the mayor described riding out the intense storm at an emergency operating centre.
“The entire town of Black River is devastated,” he said. “The destruction is so severe that the national leader classified this area as the worst-hit zone.”
Five individuals from the town are reported dead, but Solomon noted receiving word of additional fatalities that are still being verified due to communication and transportation difficulties.
“The hurricane arrived around 8 a.m. and continued for around nine hours, during which we were pounded with heavy winds and torrential rainfall,” he explained.
“We experienced up to 16ft of flooding at the response center. That was a frightening moment for us, and we were praying that it would not rise any further, because we were on the upper level, and I tell you, when we saw the water rising, it was a terrifying moment for us.”
The mayor explained that Black River, located in the hard-hit southwest region of the area, is without running water and power, and the majority of structures have lost their roofing. One official earlier characterized the town as flooded, with more than 500,000 inhabitants lacking electricity. A mudslide has blocked the primary routes of Santa Cruz, where streets have been reduced to mud pits. Locals are now removing water from their homes and attempting to rescue their possessions.
Search and rescue operations and evaluations have proven almost impossible because all the town’s transport and essential facilities such as firefighting, law enforcement, hospitals and supermarkets were “severely damaged,” says the mayor.
He is now concentrating on trying to help the neediest residents, while also dealing with the individual toll of the disaster.
“My vehicle was completely covered by water. The roofing was lost, so I fully grasp the pain that people are experiencing, but what is a priority for me now is to focus on securing aid relief for the most at-risk at this point,” he says.
The mayor believes that it will take billions of Jamaican dollars to rebuild Black River after the hurricane's annihilation. At present, he says, the main goal is clearing blocked routes, which have isolated the town.
“Efforts are underway to get the main roads and critical lateral roads here so that we can deliver relief supplies in. The majority of our supermarkets, if not all, were severely affected so they won’t be able to provide supplies to individuals who are in dire straits at this moment,” he adds.
National leadership has seen the damage first-hand, with an aerial tour of the region showing the vast majority of buildings in the area had been destroyed.
“This will be a massive undertaking to restore this historic town. But while it is damaged, we can vision a tomorrow of it emerging more resilient and better,” he informed local media.
“We will get it done. So keep the positive outlook, keep hope alive, and we will overcome this challenge, and we will rebuild better,” he affirmed.
