Mayor Leading Recovery Work at Hurricane Melissa's Epicenter

This mayor of the town of Black River – an area described as “the epicenter” for Hurricane Melissa – has shared the immense storm surges and widespread destruction wrought by the catastrophe.

Reflecting on the harrowing experience, Richard Solomon described enduring the intense storm at an emergency response center.

“The entire town of this area is devastated,” he stated. “And that devastation is so severe that the national leader designated this area as ground zero.”

Five individuals from Black River are reported to have died, but Solomon mentioned hearing reports of additional fatalities that are still being verified due to communication and transportation difficulties.

“The hurricane arrived around eight in the morning and lasted for around nine hours, during which we were pounded with heavy winds and a lot of rain,” he added.

“We experienced up to 4.8 metres of water at the emergency operating centre. It was a bit scary for us, and we were praying that it would not rise any more, because we were on the upper level, and I tell you, when we saw the water rising, it was a scary experience for us.”

Solomon explained that Black River, situated in the severely affected southwest region of the area, is lacking water and electricity, and most structures have lost their roofs. One official previously characterized the town as under water, with over half a million inhabitants lacking electricity. A mudslide has obstructed the main roads of Santa Cruz, where roadways have been turned to mud pits. Locals are now sweeping water from their homes and trying to salvage their possessions.

Search and rescue operations and damage assessments have become almost impossible because all the town’s transport and critical services such as fire, police, hospitals and supermarkets were “severely damaged,” says Solomon.

He is now focused on trying to assist the neediest residents, while also dealing with the individual toll of the disaster.

“My vehicle was completely covered by water. My roof went, so I do understand the suffering that persons are experiencing, but what is a key focus for me now is to focus on getting aid relief for the most at-risk at this time,” he says.

The mayor believes that it will take billions of local currency to rebuild the community after the hurricane's destruction. At present, he states, the priority is clearing blocked routes, which have cut off the town.

“We are now trying to get the main roads and critical lateral roads here so that we can deliver aid in. Most of our supermarkets, if not all, were severely affected so they won’t be able to offer goods to persons who are in dire straits at this time,” he adds.

National leadership has seen the damage first-hand, with an aerial tour of the region showing the vast majority of buildings in the area had been destroyed.

“This will be a enormous task to rebuild Black River. But although it is destroyed, we can vision a tomorrow of it rising stronger and improved,” he informed reporters.

“We will get it done. So keep the optimism, keep hope alive, and we will overcome this challenge, and we will rebuild better,” he said.