Mayor Leading Recovery Efforts at Storm Melissa's Worst-Hit Area
The mayor of the town of Black River – an area referred to as “the epicenter” for Hurricane Melissa – has detailed the monstrous storm surges and extensive destruction wrought by the disaster.
Speaking on the traumatic ordeal, Richard Solomon described riding out the Category 5 hurricane at an emergency response center.
“Our community of Black River is devastated,” he stated. “And that devastation is so severe that the national leader designated this area as the worst-hit zone.”
Several people from the town are confirmed to have died, but Solomon noted receiving word of other deaths that remain unconfirmed due to connectivity and transportation challenges.
“Storm Melissa came around eight in the morning and continued for around several hours, during which we were pounded with strong gusts and torrential rainfall,” he added.
“We experienced up to 16ft of flooding at the emergency operating centre. It was a frightening moment for us, and we were praying that it would not increase any further, because we were on the upper level, and frankly, when we saw the water rising, it was a scary moment for us.”
Solomon stated that Black River, situated in the severely affected southwest parish of St Elizabeth, is lacking water and power, and most structures have had their roofing. One official previously characterized the town as under water, with more than 500,000 residents lacking electricity. A mudslide has blocked the primary routes of a nearby area, where streets have been reduced to mud pits. Residents are now removing water from their homes and attempting to rescue their possessions.
Rescue efforts and evaluations have proven almost impossible because every one of the town’s transport and essential facilities such as firefighting, police, hospitals and supermarkets were “immensely damaged,” says the mayor.
He is now focused on trying to help the most vulnerable, while also dealing with the personal impact of the devastation.
“My vehicle was totally covered by water. My roof was lost, so I fully grasp the pain that people are experiencing, but what is a key focus for me now is to concentrate on securing assistance for the most vulnerable at this point,” he explains.
The mayor estimates that it will take millions of local currency to restore the community after Melissa’s destruction. At present, he states, the main goal is removing debris from blocked routes, which have isolated the town.
“Efforts are underway to get the major thoroughfares and critical lateral roads here so that we can get relief supplies in. The majority of our supermarkets, if not all, were impacted negatively so they will be unable to provide supplies to persons who are in need at this moment,” he adds.
The prime minister has seen the devastation first-hand, with an flyover of the region showing 80 to 90% of buildings in the area had been destroyed.
“It is going to be a enormous task to rebuild this historic town. But while it is damaged, we can vision a future of it emerging more resilient and better,” he informed local media.
“We will get it done. So maintain the optimism, remain hopeful, and we will overcome this challenge, and we will rebuild better,” he said.
