City Leader Guiding Rebuilding Efforts at Hurricane Melissa's Worst-Hit Area

The local leader of Black River – an area referred to as “ground zero” for Hurricane Melissa – has shared the monstrous flooding and widespread devastation wrought by the catastrophe.

Reflecting on the harrowing ordeal, Richard Solomon described enduring the Category 5 storm at an emergency operating centre.

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

Several people from Black River are reported to have died, but the mayor noted receiving word of additional deaths that are still being verified due to communication and travel difficulties.

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

“We got up to 16ft of flooding at the emergency operating centre. It was a bit scary for us, and we were praying that it would not rise any more, because we were on the upper level, and frankly, when we saw the water rising, it was a scary experience for us.”

The mayor stated that the town, situated in the hard-hit south-western parish of the area, is without running water and electricity, and most buildings have had their roofs. An authority previously characterized the town as under water, with more than 500,000 residents lacking electricity. A landslide has blocked the main roads of Santa Cruz, where streets have been reduced to muddy tracks. Locals are now sweeping water from their homes and attempting to salvage their possessions.

Rescue efforts and damage assessments have proven extremely difficult because every one of the town’s transport and critical services such as fire, police, hospitals and supermarkets were “immensely damaged,” says the mayor.

The mayor is now focused on trying to help the neediest residents, while also coping with the personal impact of the disaster.

“My vehicle was totally covered by water. My roof went, so I fully grasp the suffering that persons are feeling, but what is a key focus for me now is to concentrate on securing aid relief for the most at-risk at this time,” he explains.

Solomon estimates that it will take billions of local currency to rebuild the community after Melissa’s destruction. For now, he says, the main goal is removing debris from impassable roads, which have isolated the town.

“We are now trying to get the main roads and secondary routes here so that we can deliver aid in. The majority of our supermarkets, if not all, were severely affected so they will be unable to offer goods to individuals who are in need at this moment,” he adds.

National leadership has witnessed the devastation first-hand, with an flyover of the area revealing the vast majority of buildings in the area had been lost.

“It is going to be a enormous undertaking to rebuild this historic town. But while it is destroyed, we can vision a future of it emerging more resilient and improved,” he informed reporters.

“We will get it done. So maintain the optimism, keep hope alive, and we will get through this, and we will rebuild better,” he said.