City Leader Leading Recovery Efforts at Storm Melissa's Ground Zero

The mayor of the town of Black River – a community referred to as “ground zero” for Hurricane Melissa – has detailed the monstrous flooding and widespread destruction wrought by the catastrophe.

Speaking on the harrowing ordeal, the mayor recalled riding out the Category 5 hurricane at an emergency operating centre.

“Our community of this area is in ruins,” he stated. “And that devastation is so severe that the national leader classified this area as the worst-hit zone.”

Several people from the town are confirmed to have died, but Solomon noted hearing reports of additional deaths that are still being verified due to connectivity and transportation challenges.

“Storm Melissa arrived around 8 a.m. and lasted for around nine hours, during which we were battered with strong gusts and a lot of rain,” he explained.

“We got up to 16ft of water at the emergency operating centre. It was a bit scary for us, and we were hoping that it would not rise any more, because we were on the second floor, and I tell you, when we saw the water rising, it was a terrifying experience for us.”

The mayor explained that the town, located in the hard-hit south-western region of the area, is lacking running water and power, and the majority of buildings have had their roofs. An authority previously characterized the town as flooded, with more than half a million residents without power. A mudslide has blocked the main roads of a nearby area, where streets have been reduced to muddy tracks. Locals are now sweeping water from their homes and attempting to salvage their possessions.

Search and rescue operations and damage assessments have proven almost impossible because every one of the town’s transport and essential facilities such as firefighting, police, hospitals and supermarkets were “severely damaged,” says Solomon.

The mayor is now focused on trying to assist the most vulnerable, while also dealing with the personal impact of the disaster.

“My vehicle was completely submerged by water. My roof was lost, so I do understand the pain that persons are feeling, but what is a priority for me now is to focus on getting assistance for the most vulnerable at this time,” he says.

Solomon believes that it will take millions of Jamaican dollars to rebuild Black River after Melissa’s annihilation. For now, he states, the main goal is clearing blocked routes, which have cut off the town.

“We are now trying to get the major thoroughfares and critical lateral roads here so that we can deliver relief supplies in. The majority of our supermarkets, 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 says.

National leadership has seen the devastation personally, with an aerial tour of the region revealing 80 to 90% of buildings in the area had been lost.

“It is going to be a enormous task to rebuild this historic town. But while it is destroyed, we can envision a future of it emerging stronger and better,” he told local media.

“We will get it done. So maintain the optimism, remain hopeful, and we will get through this, and we will reconstruct stronger,” he affirmed.