Mayor Guiding Recovery Work at Storm Melissa's Ground Zero

This local leader of Black River – an area described as “ground zero” for Hurricane Melissa – has detailed the immense flooding and extensive destruction caused by the catastrophe.

Reflecting on the harrowing experience, the mayor recalled enduring the Category 5 hurricane at an emergency operating centre.

“Our community of Black River is devastated,” he stated. “The destruction is so severe that the national leader designated this area as ground zero.”

Five individuals from the town are reported to have died, but Solomon mentioned receiving word of additional deaths that remain unconfirmed due to connectivity and transportation difficulties.

“Storm Melissa arrived around eight in the morning and lasted for around several hours, during which we were battered with strong gusts and torrential rainfall,” he added.

“We got up to 16ft of flooding at the response center. It was a frightening moment for us, and we were praying that it would not increase any further, because we were on the upper level, and I tell you, when we saw the water rising, it was a scary experience for us.”

Solomon stated that the town, located in the hard-hit southwest parish of the area, is lacking running water and power, and the majority of buildings have had their roofing. An authority previously described the town as flooded, with more than 500,000 residents lacking electricity. A mudslide has blocked the main roads of Santa Cruz, where roadways have been reduced to mud pits. Residents are now removing water from their houses and attempting to rescue their possessions.

Rescue efforts and damage assessments have proven almost impossible because all the town’s transport and critical services such as fire, law enforcement, hospitals and supermarkets were “immensely damaged,” notes Solomon.

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

“My vehicle was totally covered by water. My roof went, so I fully grasp the pain that people are feeling, but what is a priority for me now is to focus on securing assistance for the most at-risk at this point,” he says.

Solomon estimates that it will take billions of Jamaican dollars to rebuild Black River after Melissa’s destruction. At present, he states, the priority is clearing blocked routes, which have isolated the town.

“Efforts are underway to get the main roads and secondary routes here so that we can get aid in. Most of our stores, if not all, were impacted negatively so they won’t be able to provide supplies to persons who are in dire straits at this time,” he adds.

National leadership has witnessed the damage first-hand, with an aerial tour of the area showing the vast majority of roofs in the area had been destroyed.

“It is going to be a massive undertaking to restore this historic town. But while it is destroyed, we can vision a tomorrow of it emerging stronger and better,” he told reporters.

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