🔗 Share this article

This mayor of Black River – an area referred to as “ground zero” for Hurricane Melissa – has shared the immense storm surges and widespread destruction caused by the disaster.

Speaking on the harrowing experience, the mayor described riding out the intense storm at an emergency operating centre.

“The entire town of this area is in ruins,” he stated. “The destruction is so catastrophic that the national leader designated this area as the worst-hit zone.”

Several people from the town are confirmed to have died, but the mayor noted receiving word of other deaths that remain unconfirmed due to communication and transportation challenges.

“The hurricane came around eight in the morning and lasted for around several hours, during which we were battered with strong gusts and a lot of rain,” he explained.

“We experienced up to 16ft of water at the emergency operating centre. That was a bit scary for us, and we were praying that it would not rise any further, because we were on the upper level, and frankly, when we saw the water climbing, it was a scary moment for us.”

Solomon stated that Black River, situated in the hard-hit south-western region of St Elizabeth, is lacking running water and power, and most structures have had their roofs. An authority previously described the town as under water, with more than half a million residents lacking electricity. A mudslide has obstructed the main roads of Santa Cruz, where roadways have been turned to mud pits. Locals are now removing water from their homes and attempting to salvage their possessions.

Rescue efforts and evaluations have become almost impossible because all the town’s transport and critical services such as firefighting, law enforcement, medical centers and grocery stores were “immensely damaged,” notes Solomon.

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

“The mayor's car was completely covered by water. The roofing went, so I do understand the pain that persons are feeling, but what is a priority for me now is to focus on getting aid relief for the most at-risk at this point,” he says.

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

“We are now trying to get the main roads and secondary routes here so that we can deliver aid in. Most of our stores, if not all, were severely affected so they won’t be able to provide supplies to individuals who are in need at this time,” he adds.

The prime minister has witnessed the damage first-hand, with an flyover of the region showing 80 to 90% of buildings in the area had been destroyed.

“This will be a enormous undertaking to restore this historic town. But while it is destroyed, we can envision a future of it rising stronger and improved,” he told reporters.

“It will be accomplished. So keep the positive outlook, remain hopeful, and we will overcome this challenge, and we will rebuild better,” he said.