Mayor Guiding Rebuilding Efforts at Storm Melissa's Epicenter
The mayor of Black River – an area referred to as “ground zero” for Hurricane Melissa – has detailed the monstrous flooding and extensive devastation caused by the catastrophe.
Reflecting on the harrowing ordeal, the mayor described enduring the Category 5 storm at an emergency operating centre.
“The entire town of Black River is devastated,” he stated. “The destruction is so catastrophic that the national leader classified this area as the worst-hit zone.”
Several people from the town are reported to have died, but Solomon mentioned receiving word of other fatalities that are still being verified due to connectivity and transportation difficulties.
“Storm Melissa came around eight in the morning and lasted for around nine hours, during which we were pounded with heavy winds and a lot of rain,” he explained.
“We experienced up to 16ft of water at the emergency operating centre. It 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 scary moment for us.”
The mayor stated that Black River, located in the severely affected south-western parish of St Elizabeth, is lacking water and power, and most buildings have lost their roofs. An authority earlier characterized the town as under water, with more than half a million inhabitants lacking electricity. A mudslide has obstructed the primary routes of a nearby area, where streets have been turned to mud pits. Locals are now sweeping water from their houses and trying to rescue their possessions.
Rescue efforts and damage assessments have proven extremely difficult because every one of the town’s transport and critical services such as firefighting, law enforcement, medical centers and grocery stores were “immensely damaged,” says Solomon.
The mayor is now focused on working to assist the neediest residents, while also dealing with the personal impact of the devastation.
“My vehicle was completely submerged by water. The roofing was lost, so I do understand the suffering that people are feeling, but what is a priority for me now is to focus on securing assistance for the most vulnerable at this time,” he explains.
The mayor believes that it will take billions of Jamaican dollars to rebuild Black River after the hurricane's destruction. For now, he says, the main goal is clearing blocked routes, which have cut off the town.
“Efforts are underway to clear the major thoroughfares and secondary routes here so that we can get aid in. Most of our supermarkets, if not all, were impacted negatively so they won’t be able to provide supplies to persons who are in need at this moment,” he says.
The prime minister 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 restore Black River. But while it is destroyed, we can envision a future of it emerging stronger and improved,” he informed reporters.
“We will get it done. So maintain the optimism, keep hope alive, and we will get through this, and we will rebuild better,” he said.
