City Leader Leading Rebuilding Work at Storm Melissa's Worst-Hit Area
This local leader of Black River – an area described as “ground zero” for the devastating storm – has shared the immense storm surges and widespread devastation wrought by the disaster.
Speaking on the traumatic experience, the mayor recalled 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 the worst-hit zone.”
Several people from Black River are reported dead, but the mayor mentioned receiving word of additional deaths that are still being verified due to communication and transportation difficulties.
“Storm Melissa arrived around 8 a.m. and continued for around several hours, during which we were battered with strong gusts and a lot of rain,” he explained.
“We experienced up to 4.8 metres of flooding at the emergency operating centre. It 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 I tell you, when we saw the water rising, it was a scary moment for us.”
The mayor explained that Black River, situated in the hard-hit south-western region of the area, is without water and electricity, and most buildings have had their roofing. One official previously described the town as flooded, with more than 500,000 inhabitants without power. A mudslide has blocked the main roads of a nearby area, where streets have been turned to mud pits. Residents are now removing water from their homes and trying to rescue their belongings.
Rescue efforts and evaluations have become extremely difficult because every one of the town’s transport and essential facilities such as fire, law enforcement, hospitals and grocery stores were “severely damaged,” notes Solomon.
The mayor is now focused on working to help the neediest residents, while also dealing with the personal impact of the disaster.
“My vehicle was totally covered by water. My roof was lost, so I fully grasp the pain that people are experiencing, but what is a priority for me now is to concentrate on getting aid relief for the most at-risk at this time,” he says.
Solomon estimates that it will take millions of local currency to restore the community after the hurricane's destruction. At present, he states, the main goal is clearing impassable roads, which have isolated the town.
“We are now trying to clear the major thoroughfares and critical lateral roads here so that we can get aid in. Most of our supermarkets, if not all, were impacted negatively so they won’t be able to provide supplies to individuals who are in dire straits at this moment,” he says.
The prime minister has witnessed the devastation first-hand, with an aerial tour of the area showing the vast majority of roofs in the area had been lost.
“This will be a massive task to rebuild this historic town. But while it is destroyed, we can vision a future of it rising more resilient and improved,” he informed local media.
“It will be accomplished. So keep the optimism, keep hope alive, and we will get through this, and we will reconstruct stronger,” he affirmed.
