City Leader Leading Rebuilding Efforts at Hurricane Melissa's Ground Zero
The mayor of the town of Black River – a community described as “the epicenter” for Hurricane Melissa – has detailed the immense flooding and widespread devastation wrought by the disaster.
Reflecting on the harrowing experience, Richard Solomon recalled enduring the intense storm at an emergency operating centre.
“Our community of this area is devastated,” he stated. “And that devastation is so severe that the national leader designated this area as the worst-hit zone.”
Several people from the town are reported dead, but Solomon mentioned hearing reports of other fatalities that remain unconfirmed due to connectivity and travel challenges.
“The hurricane came around 8 a.m. and continued for around nine hours, during which we were battered with strong gusts and a lot of rain,” he explained.
“We experienced up to 16ft of flooding at the emergency operating centre. That was a frightening moment for us, and we were hoping that it would not rise any more, because we were on the second floor, and frankly, when we saw the water rising, it was a scary moment for us.”
Solomon explained that the town, located in the hard-hit southwest parish of the area, is without running water and electricity, and the majority of structures have had their roofing. One official earlier characterized the town as flooded, with more than 500,000 inhabitants lacking electricity. A mudslide has obstructed the primary routes of Santa Cruz, where streets have been turned to mud pits. Locals are now removing water from their houses and trying to salvage their possessions.
Search and rescue operations and evaluations have proven almost impossible because all the town’s vehicles and critical services such as firefighting, police, hospitals and grocery stores were “immensely damaged,” notes Solomon.
He is now focused on trying to assist the most vulnerable, while also dealing with the personal impact of the devastation.
“My vehicle was completely covered by water. The roofing went, so I fully grasp the suffering that people are experiencing, but what is a key focus for me now is to focus on getting assistance for the most vulnerable at this point,” he explains.
The mayor estimates that it will take billions of local currency to restore Black River after Melissa’s destruction. At present, he says, the priority is removing debris from 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. The majority of our supermarkets, if not all, were impacted negatively so they won’t be able to provide supplies to individuals who are in need at this moment,” he says.
National leadership has seen the damage first-hand, with an flyover of the area showing 80 to 90% of buildings in the area had been destroyed.
“It is going to be a enormous undertaking to restore this historic town. But although it is destroyed, we can vision a tomorrow of it emerging more resilient and improved,” he informed local media.
“It will be accomplished. So maintain the optimism, remain hopeful, and we will overcome this challenge, and we will reconstruct stronger,” he said.
