🔗 Share this article

This mayor of Black River – a community described as “ground zero” for the devastating storm – has shared the monstrous flooding and widespread destruction wrought by the catastrophe.

Reflecting on the traumatic ordeal, the mayor recalled riding out the Category 5 storm at an emergency operating centre.

“Our community of this area is devastated,” he said. “And that devastation is so catastrophic that the national leader classified this area as the worst-hit zone.”

Several people from the town are confirmed to have died, but the mayor noted hearing reports of other fatalities that remain unconfirmed due to connectivity and transportation difficulties.

“The hurricane arrived around 8 a.m. and continued for around several hours, during which we were battered with heavy winds and torrential rainfall,” he explained.

“We experienced up to 16ft of flooding at the response center. That was a bit scary for us, and we were praying that it would not rise any further, because we were on the second floor, and frankly, when we saw the water climbing, it was a terrifying moment for us.”

The mayor explained that the town, situated in the hard-hit southwest parish of St Elizabeth, is lacking water and power, and most structures have had their roofs. One official earlier characterized the town as flooded, with more than 500,000 inhabitants without power. A mudslide has blocked the main roads of Santa Cruz, where roadways have been turned to muddy tracks. Residents are now removing water from their homes and attempting to rescue their belongings.

Search and rescue operations and evaluations have become almost impossible because all the town’s transport and essential facilities such as fire, police, medical centers and grocery stores were “immensely damaged,” notes Solomon.

The mayor is now concentrating on trying to help the neediest residents, while also dealing with the personal impact of the devastation.

“The mayor's car was totally submerged by water. The roofing was lost, so I fully grasp the suffering that people are feeling, but what is a priority for me now is to concentrate on securing aid relief for the most at-risk at this time,” he says.

Solomon believes that it will take millions of Jamaican dollars to rebuild the community after Melissa’s destruction. At present, he says, the priority is removing debris from impassable roads, which have cut off the town.

“We are now trying to get the major thoroughfares and secondary routes 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 offer goods to individuals who are in dire straits at this time,” he says.

The prime minister has witnessed the devastation first-hand, with an aerial tour of the area showing the vast majority of buildings in the area had been lost.

“It is going to be a enormous undertaking to rebuild this historic town. But although it is destroyed, we can envision a future of it rising stronger and better,” he informed reporters.

“It will be accomplished. So maintain the positive outlook, remain hopeful, and we will overcome this challenge, and we will rebuild better,” he affirmed.