Mayor Guiding Rebuilding Efforts at Hurricane Melissa's Ground Zero

The local leader of the town of Black River – a community described as “ground zero” for the devastating storm – has shared the immense storm surges and widespread devastation caused by the disaster.

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

“Our community of Black River is devastated,” he stated. “And that devastation is so catastrophic that the prime minister designated this area as ground zero.”

Several people from Black River are reported dead, but Solomon noted hearing reports of other fatalities that are still being verified due to connectivity and travel challenges.

“The hurricane came around eight in the morning and continued for around several hours, during which we were pounded with strong gusts and a lot of rain,” he added.

“We got up to 16ft of flooding at the response center. It was a frightening moment for us, and we were praying that it would not rise any more, because we were on the upper level, and frankly, when we saw the water climbing, it was a terrifying moment for us.”

The mayor stated that Black River, located in the severely affected south-western region of St Elizabeth, is lacking running water and power, and most buildings have lost their roofs. One official earlier described the town as under water, with over half a million residents without power. A mudslide has obstructed the primary routes of a nearby area, where roadways have been turned to mud pits. Locals are now sweeping water from their houses and trying to rescue their possessions.

Search and rescue operations and damage assessments have become almost impossible because every one of the town’s transport and critical services such as firefighting, police, medical centers and grocery stores were “severely damaged,” says Solomon.

He is now concentrating on trying to assist the neediest residents, while also coping with the individual toll of the devastation.

“My vehicle was completely covered by water. The roofing was lost, so I do understand the pain that persons are experiencing, but what is a priority for me now is to concentrate on getting assistance for the most vulnerable at this point,” he explains.

Solomon believes that it will take millions of Jamaican dollars to rebuild the community after the hurricane's destruction. For now, he states, the priority is removing debris from impassable roads, which have isolated the town.

“Efforts are underway to clear the main roads and critical lateral roads here so that we can get relief supplies in. Most of our stores, if not all, were impacted negatively so they won’t be able to provide supplies to persons who are in dire straits at this moment,” he adds.

The prime minister has seen the damage personally, with an aerial tour of the region revealing 80 to 90% of roofs in the area had been destroyed.

“This will be a enormous task to rebuild this historic town. But while it is damaged, we can vision a future of it rising more resilient and better,” he told reporters.

“We will get it done. So maintain the positive outlook, remain hopeful, and we will get through this, and we will reconstruct stronger,” he affirmed.