Mayor Guiding Recovery Efforts at Hurricane Melissa's Ground Zero
This local leader of Black River – a community referred to as “ground zero” for the devastating storm – has detailed the monstrous storm surges and extensive devastation caused by the catastrophe.
Reflecting on the traumatic ordeal, Richard Solomon described enduring the intense hurricane at an emergency response center.
“The entire town of Black River is devastated,” he said. “The destruction is so severe that the national leader classified this area as the worst-hit zone.”
Several people from Black River are confirmed dead, but the mayor mentioned hearing reports of additional deaths that are still being verified due to connectivity and transportation difficulties.
“The hurricane arrived around 8 a.m. and lasted for around nine hours, during which we were battered with strong gusts and torrential rainfall,” he explained.
“We got up to 16ft of flooding at the response center. It was a bit scary for us, and we were hoping that it would not rise any more, because we were on the second floor, and I tell you, when we saw the water climbing, it was a terrifying moment for us.”
Solomon explained that Black River, located in the hard-hit south-western region of the area, is lacking running water and electricity, and the majority of buildings have lost their roofs. One official previously described the town as under water, with over 500,000 inhabitants lacking electricity. A mudslide has blocked the main roads of Santa Cruz, where streets have been reduced to mud pits. Locals are now sweeping water from their houses and attempting to salvage their possessions.
Rescue efforts and damage assessments have proven extremely difficult because all the town’s vehicles and essential facilities such as firefighting, police, hospitals and supermarkets were “immensely damaged,” says the mayor.
He is now concentrating on working to help the neediest residents, while also coping with the personal impact of the disaster.
“My vehicle was totally submerged by water. The roofing was lost, so I fully grasp the pain that people are experiencing, but what is a key focus 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 billions of local currency to rebuild Black River after the hurricane's destruction. At present, he states, the main goal is clearing impassable roads, which have cut off the town.
“Efforts are underway to clear the main roads and critical lateral roads here so that we can deliver relief supplies in. The majority of our supermarkets, if not all, were severely affected so they won’t be able to provide supplies to individuals who are in need at this moment,” he says.
National leadership has witnessed the devastation first-hand, with an flyover of the area showing 80 to 90% of roofs in the area had been lost.
“This will be a enormous task to restore Black River. But although it is destroyed, we can vision a tomorrow of it rising stronger and improved,” he told local media.
“We will get it done. So keep the optimism, remain hopeful, and we will overcome this challenge, and we will rebuild better,” he affirmed.
