City Leader Guiding Recovery Efforts at Storm Melissa's Worst-Hit Area
This local leader of the town of Black River – an area described as “ground zero” for Hurricane Melissa – has shared the monstrous flooding and widespread destruction caused by the disaster.
Speaking on the harrowing experience, the mayor recalled riding out the intense hurricane at an emergency response center.
“Our community of Black River is devastated,” he stated. “The destruction is so catastrophic that the prime minister designated this area as ground zero.”
Several people from the town are reported dead, but the mayor noted hearing reports of other deaths that are still being verified due to connectivity and travel challenges.
“Storm Melissa came around 8 a.m. and lasted for around nine hours, during which we were pounded with heavy winds and a lot of rain,” he added.
“We experienced up to 16ft of flooding at the emergency operating centre. That was a frightening moment for us, and we were hoping that it would not rise any further, because we were on the second floor, and I tell you, when we saw the water climbing, it was a terrifying experience for us.”
The mayor explained that the town, situated in the hard-hit south-western region of St Elizabeth, is lacking water and power, and the majority of buildings have had their roofing. An authority earlier characterized the town as under water, with more than half a million residents without power. A landslide has obstructed the primary routes of Santa Cruz, where roadways have been reduced to muddy tracks. Residents are now removing water from their houses and attempting to salvage their possessions.
Search and rescue operations and damage assessments have become extremely difficult because every one of the town’s transport and essential facilities such as fire, police, hospitals and grocery stores were “severely damaged,” notes the mayor.
The mayor is now focused on trying to help the most vulnerable, while also dealing with the individual toll of the disaster.
“The mayor's car was totally submerged by water. The roofing went, so I do understand the pain that persons are experiencing, but what is a priority for me now is to focus on securing assistance for the most at-risk at this point,” he says.
Solomon estimates that it will take millions of local currency to rebuild the community after the hurricane's annihilation. At present, he says, the main goal is clearing impassable roads, which have cut off the town.
“We are now trying to get the major thoroughfares and secondary routes here so that we can get aid in. The majority of our supermarkets, if not all, were impacted negatively so they won’t be able to offer goods to persons who are in need at this moment,” he adds.
National leadership has witnessed the devastation first-hand, with an flyover of the region revealing the vast majority of buildings in the area had been lost.
“This will be a massive undertaking to restore this historic town. But although it is damaged, we can vision a future of it emerging stronger and better,” he told reporters.
“It will be accomplished. So maintain the optimism, keep hope alive, and we will overcome this challenge, and we will reconstruct stronger,” he said.
