Mayor Leading Recovery Work at Storm Melissa's Epicenter

The local leader 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 this area is in ruins,” he said. “And that devastation is so severe that the prime minister classified this area as ground zero.”

Five individuals from the town are reported to have died, but Solomon mentioned hearing reports of other deaths that remain unconfirmed due to communication and transportation difficulties.

“Storm Melissa came around eight in the morning and lasted for around several hours, during which we were pounded with heavy winds and a lot of rain,” he added.

“We got up to 4.8 metres of water at the response center. It was a bit scary for us, and we were hoping that it would not rise any more, because we were on the upper level, and frankly, when we saw the water climbing, it was a scary experience for us.”

Solomon explained that the town, situated in the severely affected southwest region of St Elizabeth, is lacking running water and electricity, and the majority of structures have lost their roofs. One official previously described the town as under water, with more than half a million residents without power. A landslide has blocked the main roads of a nearby area, where streets have been reduced to muddy tracks. Locals are now sweeping water from their houses and attempting to salvage their possessions.

Search and rescue operations and damage assessments have proven almost impossible because every one of the town’s vehicles and critical services such as fire, police, hospitals and grocery stores were “severely damaged,” notes the mayor.

He is now focused on working to assist the neediest residents, while also dealing with the individual toll of the devastation.

“The mayor's car was completely submerged by water. My roof was lost, so I fully grasp the pain that people are feeling, but what is a key focus for me now is to focus on getting assistance for the most at-risk at this point,” he explains.

The mayor believes that it will take billions of local currency to rebuild the community after Melissa’s destruction. At present, he states, the priority is clearing impassable roads, which have cut off the town.

“We are now trying to get the main roads and critical lateral roads here so that we can deliver 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 dire straits at this time,” he says.

National leadership has seen the devastation first-hand, with an flyover of the area revealing the vast majority of buildings in the area had been lost.

“This will be a enormous undertaking to rebuild this historic town. But although it is destroyed, we can envision a tomorrow of it emerging more resilient and improved,” he told reporters.

“It will be accomplished. So keep the optimism, keep hope alive, and we will get through this, and we will reconstruct stronger,” he affirmed.