Mayor Leading Rebuilding Work at Storm Melissa's Worst-Hit Area
This mayor of the town of Black River – an area referred to as “ground zero” for the devastating storm – has shared the immense flooding and extensive devastation caused by the catastrophe.
Reflecting on the traumatic experience, Richard Solomon described riding out the intense storm at an emergency operating centre.
“Our community of Black River is in ruins,” he said. “And that devastation is so catastrophic that the national leader classified 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 remain unconfirmed due to communication and transportation difficulties.
“Storm Melissa arrived around 8 a.m. and lasted for around nine hours, during which we were battered with heavy winds and a lot of rain,” he explained.
“We got up to 16ft of flooding at the response center. That was a bit scary for us, and we were praying that it would not rise any more, because we were on the upper level, and I tell you, when we saw the water rising, it was a scary experience for us.”
The mayor explained that Black River, situated in the severely affected southwest region of St Elizabeth, is lacking water and electricity, and the majority of structures have had their roofs. An authority earlier characterized the town as under water, with more than 500,000 inhabitants lacking electricity. A landslide has obstructed the main roads of Santa Cruz, where streets have been turned to muddy tracks. Residents are now sweeping water from their homes and attempting to rescue their belongings.
Rescue efforts and damage assessments have become extremely difficult because all the town’s transport and essential facilities such as firefighting, police, medical centers and supermarkets were “immensely damaged,” notes Solomon.
The mayor is now focused on working to help the neediest residents, while also dealing with the individual toll of the devastation.
“The mayor's car was totally submerged by water. The roofing went, so I fully grasp the pain that persons are feeling, but what is a priority for me now is to concentrate on securing aid relief for the most vulnerable at this point,” he explains.
Solomon believes that it will take millions of local currency to restore the community after the hurricane's destruction. 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 secondary routes 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 dire straits at this moment,” he adds.
National leadership has witnessed the devastation first-hand, with an flyover of the area showing 80 to 90% of buildings in the area had been destroyed.
“This will be a enormous undertaking to restore this historic town. But although it is damaged, we can envision a tomorrow of it rising more resilient and improved,” he informed reporters.
“It will be accomplished. So keep the optimism, keep hope alive, and we will get through this, and we will rebuild better,” he said.
