Mayor Guiding Rebuilding Work at Storm Melissa's Worst-Hit Area
The mayor of the town of Black River – a community described as “the epicenter” for the devastating storm – has shared the monstrous storm surges and extensive devastation caused by the catastrophe.
Speaking on the traumatic ordeal, the mayor recalled riding out the Category 5 hurricane at an emergency operating centre.
“The entire town of Black River is devastated,” he said. “The destruction is so severe that the prime minister designated this area as the worst-hit zone.”
Five individuals from the town are reported to have died, but Solomon noted receiving word of additional deaths that are still being verified due to connectivity and travel challenges.
“Storm Melissa came around 8 a.m. and lasted for around several hours, during which we were pounded with strong gusts and torrential rainfall,” he explained.
“We experienced up to 16ft of flooding at the emergency operating centre. That was a bit scary for us, and we were hoping that it would not increase 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.”
The mayor stated that the town, located in the hard-hit southwest region of St Elizabeth, is without running water and power, and most structures have had their roofing. An authority previously described the town as under water, with over half a million inhabitants without power. A landslide has blocked the primary routes of Santa Cruz, where roadways have been reduced to mud pits. Residents are now sweeping water from their homes and trying to rescue their possessions.
Rescue efforts and evaluations have become extremely difficult because every one of the town’s vehicles and essential facilities such as firefighting, law enforcement, medical centers and supermarkets were “immensely damaged,” says the mayor.
The mayor is now concentrating on working to help the neediest residents, while also coping with the individual toll of the devastation.
“The mayor's car was totally covered by water. My roof went, so I do understand the pain that persons are feeling, but what is a key focus for me now is to concentrate on securing aid relief for the most at-risk at this point,” he says.
The mayor estimates that it will take millions of Jamaican dollars to rebuild the community after Melissa’s annihilation. At present, he states, the main goal is removing debris from blocked routes, which have isolated the town.
“Efforts are underway to get the main roads and secondary routes here so that we can deliver relief supplies in. Most of our stores, if not all, were severely affected so they will be unable to offer goods to persons who are in dire straits at this moment,” he adds.
National leadership has seen the devastation first-hand, with an aerial tour of the region revealing the vast majority of roofs in the area had been destroyed.
“It is going to be a massive undertaking to restore this historic town. But although it is destroyed, we can envision a future of it rising stronger and better,” he told local media.
“We will get it done. So maintain the optimism, keep hope alive, and we will overcome this challenge, and we will reconstruct stronger,” he affirmed.
