Mayor Guiding Rebuilding Work at Hurricane Melissa's Worst-Hit Area

This local leader of the town of Black River – an area described as “the epicenter” for the devastating storm – has shared the monstrous flooding and widespread devastation wrought by the catastrophe.

Speaking on the traumatic experience, Richard Solomon recalled riding out the Category 5 hurricane at an emergency operating centre.

“The entire town of Black River is devastated,” he stated. “The destruction is so severe that the prime minister classified this area as ground zero.”

Several people from Black River are confirmed dead, but Solomon noted receiving word of other fatalities 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 heavy winds and a lot of rain,” he explained.

“We got up to 16ft of flooding at the response center. That was a frightening moment 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 climbing, it was a scary moment for us.”

Solomon stated that Black River, located in the severely affected south-western region of the area, is without water and electricity, and most buildings have had their roofing. An authority earlier characterized the town as flooded, with more than half a million residents without power. A mudslide has blocked the main roads of Santa Cruz, where roadways have been turned to muddy tracks. Locals are now removing water from their houses and attempting to rescue their belongings.

Rescue efforts and damage assessments have become extremely difficult because all the town’s vehicles and critical services such as firefighting, police, hospitals and grocery stores were “immensely damaged,” notes Solomon.

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

“The mayor's car was completely covered by water. My roof was lost, so I do understand the suffering that persons 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 explains.

The mayor believes that it will take billions of local currency to rebuild Black River after the hurricane's annihilation. At present, he says, the main goal is clearing impassable roads, which have isolated the town.

“We are now trying to clear the major thoroughfares 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 will be unable to provide supplies to persons who are in need at this time,” he says.

National leadership has witnessed the damage personally, with an aerial tour of the area showing the vast majority of roofs in the area had been lost.

“It is going to be a enormous undertaking to rebuild Black River. But although it is damaged, we can envision a tomorrow of it rising stronger and better,” he told local media.

“We will get it done. So keep the optimism, keep hope alive, and we will overcome this challenge, and we will reconstruct stronger,” he affirmed.