Mayor Leading Recovery Work at Storm Melissa's Ground Zero
The local leader of the town of Black River – a community referred to as “the epicenter” for Hurricane Melissa – has detailed the immense storm surges and widespread destruction caused by the catastrophe.
Speaking on the harrowing ordeal, Richard Solomon recalled riding out the Category 5 storm at an emergency operating centre.
“The entire town of this area is in ruins,” he stated. “And that devastation is so catastrophic that the national leader classified this area as ground zero.”
Several people from Black River are reported to have died, but the mayor mentioned receiving word of other deaths that remain unconfirmed due to communication and transportation challenges.
“Storm Melissa came around 8 a.m. and lasted for around nine hours, during which we were pounded with strong gusts and a lot of rain,” he added.
“We experienced up to 16ft of water at the response center. It was a frightening moment for us, and we were hoping that it would not increase any more, because we were on the upper level, and frankly, when we saw the water climbing, it was a terrifying experience for us.”
The mayor stated that the town, located in the hard-hit south-western parish of St Elizabeth, is lacking running water and power, and the majority of buildings have lost their roofs. An authority previously characterized the town as under water, with more than half a million inhabitants without power. A mudslide has blocked the main roads of a nearby area, where streets have been turned to muddy tracks. Locals are now sweeping water from their homes and attempting to salvage their possessions.
Search and rescue operations and evaluations have become extremely difficult because all the town’s vehicles and critical services such as fire, police, hospitals and grocery stores were “immensely damaged,” notes the mayor.
The mayor is now concentrating on trying to help the most vulnerable, while also coping with the personal impact of the disaster.
“My vehicle was completely submerged by water. My roof went, so I do understand the pain that persons are feeling, but what is a priority for me now is to concentrate on securing assistance for the most at-risk at this time,” he says.
The mayor believes that it will take millions of local currency to restore the community after the hurricane's annihilation. For now, he states, the priority is removing debris from impassable roads, which have cut off the town.
“We are now trying to clear the major thoroughfares and critical lateral roads here so that we can get aid in. Most of our stores, if not all, were impacted negatively so they will be unable to provide supplies to individuals who are in dire straits at this moment,” he says.
National leadership has witnessed the damage first-hand, with an aerial tour of the region showing 80 to 90% of roofs in the area had been lost.
“It is going to be a enormous undertaking to restore Black River. But although it is damaged, we can envision a tomorrow of it rising stronger and improved,” he told local media.
“It will be accomplished. So keep the optimism, remain hopeful, and we will get through this, and we will rebuild better,” he affirmed.
