Mayor Leading Recovery Efforts at Hurricane Melissa's Worst-Hit Area
The mayor of the town of Black River – an area referred to as “the epicenter” for the devastating storm – has shared the immense storm surges and extensive devastation caused by the disaster.
Reflecting on the harrowing experience, Richard Solomon recalled riding out the Category 5 hurricane at an emergency response center.
“Our community of this area is devastated,” he stated. “The destruction is so severe that the national leader classified this area as the worst-hit zone.”
Five individuals from the town are confirmed to have died, but Solomon mentioned hearing reports of other fatalities that are still being verified due to connectivity and travel challenges.
“The hurricane came around eight in the morning and lasted for around several hours, during which we were battered with heavy winds and a lot of rain,” he explained.
“We got up to 16ft of flooding at the response center. That was a bit scary for us, and we were hoping that it would not increase any further, because we were on the second floor, and frankly, when we saw the water climbing, it was a terrifying moment for us.”
The mayor stated that Black River, situated in the severely affected south-western parish of the area, is without water and power, and most structures have had their roofing. One official previously described the town as flooded, with over 500,000 residents lacking electricity. A landslide has obstructed the main roads of Santa Cruz, where streets have been reduced to muddy tracks. Locals are now removing water from their homes and attempting to rescue their possessions.
Search and rescue operations and evaluations have become almost impossible because every one of the town’s transport and critical services such as firefighting, police, medical centers and supermarkets were “immensely damaged,” says Solomon.
He is now concentrating on trying to assist the most vulnerable, while also coping with the individual toll of the disaster.
“My vehicle was totally covered by water. My roof was lost, so I fully grasp the suffering that persons are feeling, but what is a priority for me now is to focus on getting assistance for the most at-risk at this point,” he says.
Solomon estimates that it will take billions of local currency to restore the community after Melissa’s annihilation. At present, he says, the main goal is clearing impassable roads, which have isolated the town.
“We are now trying to get the major thoroughfares and critical lateral roads 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 persons who are in dire straits at this moment,” he adds.
National leadership has witnessed the devastation first-hand, with an flyover of the region showing 80 to 90% of buildings in the area had been destroyed.
“It is going to be a massive undertaking to restore this historic town. But although it is destroyed, we can envision a future of it emerging more resilient and improved,” he informed local media.
“We will get it done. So maintain the positive outlook, remain hopeful, and we will get through this, and we will reconstruct stronger,” he said.
