City Leader Leading Rebuilding Work at Hurricane Melissa's Worst-Hit Area

This local leader of Black River – an area referred to as “ground zero” for Hurricane Melissa – has detailed the monstrous flooding and widespread destruction wrought by the catastrophe.

Reflecting on the traumatic experience, the mayor recalled riding out the Category 5 hurricane at an emergency response center.

“The entire town of this area is in ruins,” he stated. “The destruction is so severe that the national leader designated this area as the worst-hit zone.”

Five individuals from the town are confirmed to have died, but the mayor noted receiving word of additional fatalities that remain unconfirmed due to connectivity and transportation difficulties.

“Storm Melissa came around eight in the morning and continued for around several hours, during which we were battered with strong gusts and torrential rainfall,” he explained.

“We experienced up to 16ft of water at the emergency operating centre. That was a frightening moment for us, and we were hoping that it would not increase any more, because we were on the upper level, and I tell you, when we saw the water climbing, it was a scary experience for us.”

Solomon explained that Black River, located in the hard-hit southwest parish of St Elizabeth, is without water and power, and the majority of buildings have had their roofing. An authority earlier described the town as flooded, with over 500,000 residents without power. A landslide has blocked the main roads of a nearby area, where roadways have been reduced to mud pits. Residents are now removing water from their homes and attempting to rescue their belongings.

Search and rescue operations and evaluations have proven extremely difficult because every one of the town’s vehicles and essential facilities such as firefighting, police, medical centers and grocery stores were “severely damaged,” notes Solomon.

He is now concentrating on working to assist the most vulnerable, while also coping with the individual toll of the disaster.

“My vehicle was totally covered by water. My roof went, so I fully grasp the pain that persons are experiencing, but what is a priority for me now is to focus on getting assistance for the most at-risk at this point,” he explains.

The mayor believes that it will take billions of Jamaican dollars to rebuild the community after Melissa’s destruction. At present, he states, the priority is clearing impassable roads, which have isolated the town.

“Efforts are underway to clear the major thoroughfares and critical lateral roads here so that we can deliver relief supplies in. The majority of our stores, 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 says.

National leadership has witnessed the devastation personally, with an flyover of the area showing 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 tomorrow of it emerging more resilient and better,” he informed reporters.

“We will get it done. So maintain the positive outlook, remain hopeful, and we will overcome this challenge, and we will rebuild better,” he said.