🔗 Share this article

The mayor of Black River – a community described as “ground zero” for the devastating storm – has detailed the monstrous storm surges and extensive destruction wrought by the catastrophe.

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

“The entire town of this area is devastated,” he said. “The destruction is so catastrophic that the prime minister classified this area as ground zero.”

Five individuals from Black River are reported dead, but Solomon mentioned receiving word of other deaths that are still being verified due to communication and travel challenges.

“The hurricane came around 8 a.m. and lasted for around nine hours, during which we were pounded with strong gusts and torrential rainfall,” he explained.

“We experienced up to 4.8 metres of water at the response center. That was a frightening moment for us, and we were praying that it would not rise any further, because we were on the second floor, and frankly, when we saw the water rising, it was a scary experience for us.”

The mayor stated that Black River, situated in the hard-hit south-western region of St Elizabeth, is without water and electricity, and most buildings have lost their roofs. An authority earlier described the town as flooded, with more than half a million residents without power. A mudslide has blocked the main roads of Santa Cruz, where roadways have been reduced to muddy tracks. Locals are now removing water from their homes and attempting to salvage their belongings.

Search and rescue operations and damage assessments have become almost impossible because every one of the town’s transport and critical services such as firefighting, law enforcement, hospitals and grocery stores were “immensely damaged,” notes Solomon.

The mayor is now concentrating on trying to assist the neediest residents, while also dealing with the personal impact of the disaster.

“The mayor's car was completely covered by water. The roofing went, so I do understand the suffering that people are experiencing, but what is a key focus for me now is to focus on getting assistance for the most at-risk at this time,” he says.

Solomon believes that it will take billions of Jamaican dollars to restore the community after Melissa’s destruction. For now, he says, the priority is clearing impassable roads, which have isolated the town.

“We are now trying to clear the main roads and critical lateral roads here so that we can deliver relief supplies in. Most of our stores, if not all, were impacted negatively so they won’t be able to provide supplies to individuals who are in dire straits at this time,” he says.

National leadership has seen the damage personally, with an flyover of the area showing 80 to 90% of buildings in the area had been lost.

“This will be a massive undertaking to restore Black River. But although it is damaged, we can vision a future of it emerging stronger and better,” 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 affirmed.