🔗 Share this article

The mayor of the town of Black River – a community referred to as “ground zero” for the devastating storm – has detailed the immense storm surges and widespread devastation wrought by the disaster.

Speaking on the traumatic ordeal, Richard Solomon described riding out the intense storm at an emergency response center.

“The entire town of this area is devastated,” he said. “The destruction is so catastrophic that the national leader classified this area as the worst-hit zone.”

Five individuals from Black River are confirmed to have died, but the mayor noted receiving word of other fatalities that remain unconfirmed due to communication and transportation difficulties.

“Storm Melissa arrived around 8 a.m. and continued for around nine hours, during which we were battered with strong gusts and torrential rainfall,” he added.

“We got up to 16ft of flooding at the response center. It was a frightening moment for us, and we were praying that it would not increase any more, 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, located in the severely affected south-western parish of St Elizabeth, is without water and electricity, and the majority of structures have lost their roofs. One official earlier described the town as under water, with over half a million residents without power. A landslide has blocked the main roads of Santa Cruz, where streets have been turned to mud pits. Locals are now removing water from their houses and trying to salvage their belongings.

Rescue efforts and damage assessments have become extremely difficult because all the town’s vehicles and essential facilities such as fire, law enforcement, medical centers and supermarkets were “severely damaged,” notes the mayor.

He is now focused on trying 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 was lost, so I fully grasp the suffering that people are feeling, but what is a key focus for me now is to concentrate on securing assistance for the most at-risk at this time,” he explains.

Solomon estimates that it will take billions of Jamaican dollars to restore Black River after Melissa’s destruction. At present, he states, the priority is removing debris from impassable roads, which have cut off the town.

“We are now trying to clear the main roads and secondary routes here so that we can get relief supplies in. The majority of our supermarkets, if not all, were impacted negatively so they won’t be able to provide supplies to persons who are in need at this time,” he adds.

National leadership has seen the devastation first-hand, with an flyover of the area showing the vast majority of roofs in the area had been destroyed.

“This will be a enormous undertaking to rebuild Black River. But while it is damaged, we can vision a future of it rising more resilient and improved,” he informed reporters.

“It will be accomplished. So keep the positive outlook, keep hope alive, and we will overcome this challenge, and we will reconstruct stronger,” he affirmed.