Mayor Leading Rebuilding Work at Storm Melissa's Worst-Hit Area

This mayor of the town of Black River – an area referred to as “the epicenter” for Hurricane Melissa – has shared the monstrous storm surges and extensive devastation caused by the catastrophe.

Speaking on the traumatic ordeal, Richard Solomon described enduring the intense hurricane at an emergency response center.

“The entire town of this area is devastated,” he said. “And that devastation is so severe that the national leader designated this area as ground zero.”

Five individuals from the town are reported dead, but Solomon mentioned hearing reports of other fatalities that remain unconfirmed due to connectivity and travel challenges.

“Storm Melissa came around eight in the morning and continued for around several hours, during which we were battered with heavy winds and torrential rainfall,” he explained.

“We experienced up to 16ft of flooding at the response center. That was a bit scary for us, and we were hoping that it would not rise any more, because we were on the upper level, and I tell you, when we saw the water climbing, it was a terrifying moment for us.”

The mayor stated that Black River, located in the severely affected south-western parish of the area, is without running water and electricity, and the majority of buildings have had their roofing. An authority earlier described the town as flooded, with over 500,000 residents lacking electricity. A landslide has obstructed the main roads of a nearby area, where roadways have been turned to muddy tracks. Locals are now removing water from their houses and trying to rescue their belongings.

Search and rescue operations and evaluations have proven almost impossible because every one of the town’s vehicles and critical services such as firefighting, law enforcement, medical centers and supermarkets were “immensely damaged,” says Solomon.

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

“My vehicle was totally submerged by water. The roofing was lost, so I fully grasp the pain that people are feeling, but what is a priority for me now is to concentrate on securing aid relief for the most at-risk at this time,” he explains.

The mayor believes that it will take millions of Jamaican dollars to rebuild the community after the hurricane's annihilation. For now, he states, the priority is removing debris from blocked routes, which have cut off the town.

“Efforts are underway to clear the main roads and critical lateral roads here so that we can get relief supplies in. The majority of our stores, if not all, were severely affected so they won’t be able to provide supplies to persons who are in need at this time,” he adds.

The prime minister has seen the devastation personally, with an flyover of the region revealing 80 to 90% of roofs in the area had been destroyed.

“It is going to be a massive task to restore this historic town. But although it is destroyed, we can vision a future of it rising stronger and better,” he told reporters.

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