Mayor Leading Rebuilding Work at Hurricane Melissa's Worst-Hit Area
The mayor of Black River – an area described as “the epicenter” for Hurricane Melissa – has detailed the immense storm surges and extensive devastation wrought by the catastrophe.
Speaking on the traumatic experience, Richard Solomon recalled enduring the intense storm at an emergency response center.
“Our community of Black River is devastated,” he said. “And that devastation is so catastrophic that the national leader classified this area as the worst-hit zone.”
Five individuals from Black River are reported dead, but Solomon mentioned hearing reports of other fatalities that remain unconfirmed due to communication and travel difficulties.
“The hurricane arrived around 8 a.m. and continued for around several hours, during which we were battered with heavy winds and a lot of rain,” he explained.
“We got up to 4.8 metres of flooding at the response center. That was a bit scary for us, and we were hoping that it would not rise any further, because we were on the upper level, and frankly, when we saw the water rising, it was a scary experience for us.”
The mayor stated that Black River, located in the hard-hit southwest parish of the area, is without water and electricity, and the majority of buildings have had their roofing. An authority earlier described the town as flooded, with over half a million residents without power. A landslide has blocked the primary routes of Santa Cruz, where streets have been turned to muddy tracks. Locals are now sweeping water from their houses and attempting to salvage their belongings.
Rescue efforts and evaluations have proven extremely difficult because all the town’s vehicles and critical services such as fire, law enforcement, medical centers and supermarkets were “severely damaged,” says the mayor.
He is now concentrating on working to assist the neediest residents, while also dealing with the personal impact of the devastation.
“My vehicle was totally submerged by water. The roofing went, so I do understand the suffering that persons are experiencing, but what is a key focus for me now is to focus on securing assistance for the most at-risk at this time,” he explains.
Solomon estimates that it will take millions of Jamaican dollars to restore Black River after the hurricane's annihilation. At present, he says, the main goal is removing debris from impassable roads, which have cut off the town.
“Efforts are underway to get the major thoroughfares and critical lateral roads here so that we can deliver relief supplies in. Most of our supermarkets, if not all, were impacted negatively so they won’t be able to provide supplies to individuals who are in dire straits at this time,” he says.
National leadership has witnessed the damage first-hand, with an aerial tour of the region showing 80 to 90% of buildings in the area had been destroyed.
“This will be a massive task to restore Black River. But although it is damaged, we can envision a future of it rising more resilient and better,” he told local media.
“We will get it done. So keep the optimism, keep hope alive, and we will overcome this challenge, and we will reconstruct stronger,” he affirmed.
