City Leader Guiding Recovery Efforts at Storm Melissa's Epicenter

The mayor of the town of Black River – a community referred to as “ground zero” for the devastating storm – has detailed the immense flooding and widespread devastation caused by the catastrophe.

Reflecting on the harrowing experience, Richard Solomon recalled enduring the intense hurricane at an emergency operating centre.

“Our community of Black River is in ruins,” 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 hearing reports of other deaths that are still being verified due to connectivity and travel challenges.

“Storm Melissa came around 8 a.m. and continued for around several hours, during which we were battered with heavy winds and torrential rainfall,” 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 second floor, and I tell you, when we saw the water rising, it was a scary experience for us.”

Solomon stated that the town, situated in the hard-hit southwest region of St Elizabeth, is without water and power, and most buildings have had their roofing. One official earlier described the town as flooded, with more than 500,000 inhabitants lacking electricity. A landslide has blocked the main roads of Santa Cruz, where streets have been reduced to mud pits. Residents are now removing water from their houses and attempting to salvage their belongings.

Search and rescue operations and evaluations have become almost impossible because all the town’s vehicles and essential facilities such as firefighting, law enforcement, medical centers and supermarkets were “immensely damaged,” says Solomon.

He is now focused on working to assist the neediest residents, while also dealing with the personal impact of the disaster.

“My vehicle was totally covered by water. The roofing went, so I do understand the suffering that persons are feeling, but what is a priority for me now is to focus on securing assistance for the most at-risk at this time,” he explains.

The mayor believes that it will take millions of Jamaican dollars to restore Black River after Melissa’s destruction. At present, he states, the main goal is clearing blocked routes, which have cut off the town.

“We are now trying to clear the major thoroughfares and secondary routes here so that we can deliver relief supplies in. The majority of our stores, if not all, were severely affected so they will be unable to offer goods to individuals who are in dire straits at this time,” he says.

National leadership has witnessed the damage first-hand, with an aerial tour of the area revealing 80 to 90% of roofs in the area had been lost.

“This will be a massive undertaking to rebuild this historic town. But although it is damaged, we can vision a tomorrow of it emerging stronger and better,” he informed reporters.

“It will be accomplished. So maintain the positive outlook, keep hope alive, and we will get through this, and we will rebuild better,” he affirmed.