City Leader Leading Rebuilding Efforts at Hurricane Melissa's Worst-Hit Area
The local leader of Black River – an area referred to as “the epicenter” for the devastating storm – has detailed the immense storm surges and extensive devastation caused by the catastrophe.
Speaking on the traumatic ordeal, Richard Solomon described enduring the intense storm at an emergency response center.
“The entire town of this area is devastated,” he said. “The destruction is so severe that the national leader designated this area as the worst-hit zone.”
Five individuals from the town are reported to have died, but Solomon noted receiving word of additional deaths that are still being verified due to connectivity and transportation challenges.
“The hurricane arrived around 8 a.m. and continued for around nine hours, during which we were pounded with heavy winds and a lot of rain,” he explained.
“We got up to 4.8 metres 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 upper level, and I tell you, when we saw the water rising, it was a scary moment for us.”
The mayor stated that Black River, situated in the severely affected south-western region of St Elizabeth, is without water and electricity, and the majority of buildings have had their roofs. One official previously characterized the town as under water, with over half a million inhabitants without power. A mudslide has obstructed the primary routes of a nearby area, where roadways have been reduced to muddy tracks. Locals are now sweeping water from their houses and trying to rescue their belongings.
Rescue efforts and damage assessments have proven extremely difficult because all the town’s transport and essential facilities such as fire, law enforcement, hospitals and grocery stores were “severely damaged,” notes the mayor.
He is now concentrating on trying to help the neediest residents, while also coping with the personal impact of the disaster.
“My vehicle was totally covered by water. The roofing went, so I do understand the suffering that people are experiencing, but what is a priority for me now is to focus on securing aid relief for the most at-risk at this time,” he explains.
Solomon believes that it will take millions of local currency to restore the community after Melissa’s destruction. At present, he says, the priority is clearing blocked routes, which have cut off the town.
“Efforts are underway to get the main roads and critical lateral roads here so that we can deliver aid in. Most of our stores, if not all, were severely affected so they won’t be able to offer goods to individuals who are in need at this moment,” he adds.
National leadership has seen the damage first-hand, with an flyover of the region showing the vast majority of roofs in the area had been lost.
“It is going to be a enormous task to restore this historic town. But while it is destroyed, we can envision a future of it emerging stronger and better,” he told reporters.
“We will get it done. So keep the positive outlook, keep hope alive, and we will get through this, and we will reconstruct stronger,” he said.
