Mayor Guiding Rebuilding Efforts at Storm Melissa's Ground Zero

This local leader of Black River – an area referred to as “ground zero” for Hurricane Melissa – has detailed the immense storm surges and widespread devastation wrought by the catastrophe.

Speaking on the harrowing ordeal, the mayor recalled riding out the intense hurricane at an emergency response center.

“The entire town of this area is in ruins,” he stated. “The destruction is so severe that the national leader classified this area as ground zero.”

Several people from Black River are confirmed to have died, but Solomon mentioned receiving word of other fatalities that are still being verified due to communication and transportation difficulties.

“Storm Melissa arrived around eight in the morning and continued for around several hours, during which we were battered with heavy winds and a lot of rain,” he added.

“We experienced up to 16ft of flooding at the emergency operating centre. It was a frightening moment for us, and we were praying that it would not increase any more, because we were on the second floor, and I tell you, when we saw the water rising, it was a terrifying moment for us.”

The mayor explained that Black River, located in the severely affected southwest region of the area, is lacking running water and power, and the majority of structures have lost their roofs. One official previously described the town as flooded, with over half a million inhabitants without power. A mudslide has obstructed the main roads of Santa Cruz, where roadways have been turned to mud pits. Residents are now removing water from their houses and attempting to salvage their possessions.

Search and rescue operations and evaluations have become extremely difficult because every one of the town’s transport and critical services such as firefighting, law enforcement, hospitals and grocery stores were “severely damaged,” notes Solomon.

The mayor is now concentrating on trying to help the most vulnerable, while also coping with the individual toll of the disaster.

“The mayor's car was totally covered by water. My roof was lost, so I fully grasp the suffering that persons are experiencing, but what is a priority for me now is to concentrate on securing assistance for the most vulnerable at this time,” he explains.

The mayor estimates that it will take billions of Jamaican dollars to restore the community after Melissa’s destruction. For now, he says, the priority is clearing impassable roads, which have cut off the town.

“Efforts are underway to get the major thoroughfares and critical lateral roads here so that we can get relief supplies in. Most of our supermarkets, if not all, were severely affected so they won’t be able to provide supplies to persons who are in dire straits at this time,” he adds.

The prime minister has witnessed the devastation personally, with an flyover of the region showing 80 to 90% of buildings in the area had been destroyed.

“It is going to be a massive task to rebuild Black River. But although it is destroyed, we can vision a future of it emerging more resilient and better,” he informed reporters.

“We will get it done. So maintain the positive outlook, remain hopeful, and we will overcome this challenge, and we will rebuild better,” he said.