🔗 Share this article

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

Reflecting on the harrowing ordeal, the mayor described enduring the Category 5 hurricane at an emergency response center.

“Our community of Black River is in ruins,” he stated. “And that devastation is so catastrophic that the national leader designated this area as ground zero.”

Several people from the town are confirmed to have died, but the mayor noted hearing reports of additional deaths that are still being verified due to connectivity and transportation difficulties.

“Storm Melissa came around 8 a.m. and lasted for around nine hours, during which we were battered with heavy winds and a lot of rain,” he explained.

“We got up to 16ft of water at the response center. That was a frightening moment for us, and we were hoping that it would not rise any more, because we were on the second floor, and frankly, when we saw the water climbing, it was a scary moment for us.”

Solomon stated that the town, located in the hard-hit south-western parish of St Elizabeth, is lacking water and power, and most structures have had their roofing. An authority previously characterized the town as under water, with more than half a million inhabitants lacking electricity. A mudslide has blocked the primary routes of Santa Cruz, where roadways have been turned to mud pits. Locals are now sweeping water from their houses and trying to salvage their possessions.

Rescue efforts and damage assessments have proven extremely difficult because every one of the town’s transport and essential facilities such as firefighting, police, hospitals and grocery stores 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.

“The mayor's car was totally submerged by water. The roofing was lost, so I do understand the pain that people are feeling, but what is a key focus for me now is to focus on securing aid relief for the most vulnerable at this time,” he says.

Solomon estimates that it will take billions of local currency to restore the community after Melissa’s destruction. For now, he states, the main goal is removing debris from impassable roads, which have cut off the town.

“Efforts are underway to clear the main roads and secondary routes here so that we can get aid in. The majority of our supermarkets, if not all, were impacted negatively so they will be unable to provide supplies to persons who are in dire straits at this time,” he adds.

The prime minister has seen the devastation first-hand, with an flyover of the region revealing the vast majority of buildings in the area had been lost.

“This will be a enormous task to restore this historic town. But although it is destroyed, we can vision a future of it emerging stronger and improved,” he informed local media.

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