Mayor Leading Rebuilding Work at Hurricane Melissa's Epicenter
The local leader of Black River – an area referred to as “the epicenter” for Hurricane Melissa – has shared the immense flooding and extensive destruction wrought by the disaster.
Reflecting on the traumatic ordeal, the mayor recalled enduring 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 prime minister classified this area as ground zero.”
Several people from Black River are reported to have died, but Solomon mentioned receiving word of other deaths that remain unconfirmed due to communication and transportation difficulties.
“The hurricane came around 8 a.m. and lasted for around nine hours, during which we were battered with strong gusts and torrential rainfall,” he explained.
“We experienced up to 16ft of flooding 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 I tell you, when we saw the water rising, it was a scary moment for us.”
The mayor stated that Black River, located in the severely affected southwest region of the area, is without water and electricity, and most structures have lost their roofing. One official previously characterized the town as flooded, with over half a million inhabitants lacking electricity. A landslide has blocked the main roads of a nearby area, where roadways have been turned to mud pits. Residents are now removing water from their houses and trying to rescue their belongings.
Search and rescue operations and damage assessments have proven almost impossible because all the town’s transport and essential facilities such as firefighting, law enforcement, medical centers and grocery stores were “immensely damaged,” notes the mayor.
The mayor is now concentrating on trying to help the most vulnerable, while also dealing with the personal impact of the devastation.
“My vehicle was completely covered by water. My roof went, so I do understand the suffering that people are feeling, but what is a priority for me now is to concentrate on getting aid relief for the most vulnerable at this time,” he says.
The mayor estimates that it will take millions of Jamaican dollars to restore Black River after the hurricane's destruction. For now, he says, the priority is clearing impassable roads, which have isolated the town.
“Efforts are underway to get the main roads and critical lateral roads here so that we can get aid in. Most of our stores, if not all, were severely affected so they will be unable to provide supplies to individuals who are in dire straits at this moment,” he adds.
The prime minister has witnessed the damage first-hand, with an flyover of the region revealing the vast majority of roofs in the area had been lost.
“This will be a enormous task to rebuild Black River. But while it is damaged, we can vision a future of it emerging stronger and improved,” he informed reporters.
“We will get it done. So keep the positive outlook, keep hope alive, and we will overcome this challenge, and we will rebuild better,” he said.