City Leader Leading Rebuilding Efforts at Storm Melissa's Worst-Hit Area
This local leader of the town of Black River – a community described as “the epicenter” for the devastating storm – has shared the immense flooding and extensive destruction wrought by the catastrophe.
Reflecting on the traumatic experience, Richard Solomon described riding out the Category 5 storm at an emergency response center.
“The entire town of this area is in ruins,” he stated. “The destruction is so catastrophic that the prime minister designated this area as ground zero.”
Several people from Black River are reported to have died, but the mayor noted receiving word of other deaths that remain unconfirmed due to connectivity and transportation challenges.
“Storm Melissa arrived around 8 a.m. and lasted for around nine hours, during which we were pounded with strong gusts and torrential rainfall,” he explained.
“We got up to 16ft of flooding at the emergency operating centre. It was a frightening moment for us, and we were hoping that it would not rise any further, because we were on the upper level, and I tell you, when we saw the water climbing, it was a scary moment for us.”
Solomon stated that Black River, situated in the severely affected southwest region of the area, is lacking running water and power, and the majority of buildings have had their roofs. An authority earlier characterized the town as flooded, with more than half a million residents lacking electricity. A landslide has blocked the primary routes of Santa Cruz, where streets have been reduced to mud pits. Residents are now sweeping water from their homes and trying to rescue their belongings.
Search and rescue operations and evaluations have proven extremely difficult because every one of the town’s transport and critical services such as firefighting, law enforcement, hospitals and supermarkets were “severely damaged,” notes Solomon.
The mayor is now focused on working to assist the most vulnerable, while also dealing with the personal impact of the devastation.
“My vehicle was totally submerged by water. My roof went, so I fully grasp the suffering that people are experiencing, but what is a key focus for me now is to focus on securing assistance for the most at-risk at this time,” he says.
The mayor believes that it will take millions of Jamaican dollars to rebuild the community after the hurricane's annihilation. For now, he says, the priority is clearing blocked routes, which have cut off the town.
“Efforts are underway to clear the main roads and secondary routes here so that we can deliver aid in. Most of our supermarkets, if not all, were severely affected so they will be unable to provide supplies to individuals who are in need at this moment,” he says.
National leadership has witnessed the damage first-hand, with an flyover of the area revealing the vast majority of roofs in the area had been destroyed.
“It is going to be a massive undertaking to restore Black River. But although it is destroyed, we can envision a future of it rising stronger and better,” he informed local media.
“We will get it done. So keep the positive outlook, remain hopeful, and we will get through this, and we will rebuild better,” he affirmed.
