Mayor Guiding Rebuilding Work at Hurricane Melissa's Ground Zero
This local leader of Black River – a community described as “ground zero” for Hurricane Melissa – has shared the immense flooding and widespread destruction wrought by the disaster.
Reflecting on the harrowing experience, the mayor recalled enduring the intense storm at an emergency response center.
“Our community of Black River is in ruins,” he stated. “And that devastation is so severe that the prime minister designated this area as ground zero.”
Five individuals from the town are confirmed dead, but Solomon noted hearing reports of additional fatalities that remain unconfirmed due to communication and travel challenges.
“The hurricane came around eight in the morning and lasted for around nine hours, during which we were pounded with strong gusts and a lot of rain,” he explained.
“We got up to 16ft of flooding at the response center. That was a frightening moment 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 rising, it was a scary experience for us.”
Solomon explained that the town, located in the severely affected southwest parish of the area, is lacking running water and power, and the majority of structures have lost their roofs. One official previously described the town as flooded, with more than half a million inhabitants lacking electricity. A landslide has blocked the primary routes of Santa Cruz, where roadways have been reduced to mud pits. Locals are now sweeping water from their houses and trying to rescue their possessions.
Rescue efforts and damage assessments have become almost impossible because every one of the town’s vehicles and essential facilities such as fire, police, hospitals and grocery stores were “immensely damaged,” says Solomon.
The mayor is now focused on trying to help the neediest residents, while also dealing with the personal impact of the disaster.
“The mayor's car was completely submerged by water. The roofing was lost, so I do understand the suffering that persons are experiencing, but what is a key focus for me now is to concentrate on securing aid relief for the most at-risk at this time,” he says.
The mayor believes that it will take billions of Jamaican dollars to rebuild the community after Melissa’s destruction. For now, he says, the main goal is removing debris from blocked routes, which have cut off the town.
“Efforts are underway to get the major thoroughfares and critical lateral roads here so that we can get aid in. The majority of our supermarkets, if not all, were severely affected so they will be unable to offer goods to persons who are in dire straits at this time,” he adds.
The prime minister has witnessed the damage first-hand, with an aerial tour of the region showing the vast majority of roofs in the area had been destroyed.
“This will be a massive undertaking to rebuild this historic town. But although it is destroyed, we can envision a future of it rising more resilient and improved,” he informed reporters.
“It will be accomplished. So maintain the optimism, remain hopeful, and we will get through this, and we will rebuild better,” he said.
