Mayor Leading Rebuilding Work at Hurricane Melissa's Ground Zero

The mayor of the town of Black River – an area referred to as “ground zero” for the devastating storm – has shared the immense flooding and widespread devastation wrought by the catastrophe.

Speaking on the harrowing experience, Richard Solomon described enduring the Category 5 storm at an emergency operating centre.

“The entire town of this area is devastated,” he said. “And that devastation is so severe that the prime minister designated this area as the worst-hit zone.”

Five individuals from Black River are reported to have died, but the mayor noted receiving word of additional fatalities that are still being verified due to communication and transportation difficulties.

“Storm Melissa arrived around 8 a.m. and continued for around nine hours, during which we were battered with heavy winds and torrential rainfall,” he explained.

“We got up to 4.8 metres of water at the emergency operating centre. That was a bit scary for us, and we were hoping that it would not rise any further, because we were on the second floor, and frankly, when we saw the water climbing, it was a terrifying experience for us.”

The mayor explained that Black River, situated in the severely affected southwest parish of St Elizabeth, is without running water and power, and most structures have had their roofs. One official previously characterized the town as flooded, with over half a million inhabitants lacking electricity. A mudslide has blocked the main roads of a nearby area, where streets have been reduced to mud pits. Residents are now removing water from their houses and attempting to rescue their possessions.

Rescue efforts and evaluations have become almost impossible because all the town’s transport and critical services such as fire, police, medical centers and supermarkets were “immensely damaged,” notes the mayor.

He is now focused on trying to help the neediest residents, while also dealing with the individual toll of the disaster.

“My vehicle was totally submerged by water. My roof was lost, so I do understand the suffering that people are experiencing, but what is a priority for me now is to focus on getting assistance for the most at-risk at this point,” he says.

Solomon estimates that it will take millions of local currency to rebuild Black River after the hurricane's destruction. At present, he says, 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 impacted negatively so they won’t be able to provide supplies to individuals who are in dire straits at this time,” he adds.

National leadership has witnessed the damage personally, with an flyover of the region showing the vast majority of roofs in the area had been destroyed.

“It is going to be a enormous undertaking to rebuild this historic town. But although it is destroyed, we can envision a tomorrow of it emerging stronger and improved,” he informed reporters.

“We will get it done. So keep the optimism, keep hope alive, and we will get through this, and we will rebuild better,” he said.