Mayor Guiding Recovery Work at Hurricane Melissa's Worst-Hit Area
The local leader of Black River – a community described as “ground zero” for the devastating storm – has detailed the monstrous storm surges and extensive devastation wrought by the catastrophe.
Speaking on the traumatic ordeal, Richard Solomon described enduring the intense storm at an emergency operating centre.
“The entire town of Black River is devastated,” he said. “And that devastation is so severe that the prime minister designated this area as ground zero.”
Several people from Black River are confirmed to have died, but Solomon noted hearing reports of other deaths that are still being verified due to communication and transportation challenges.
“Storm Melissa arrived around 8 a.m. and continued for around several hours, during which we were battered with strong gusts and torrential rainfall,” he added.
“We experienced up to 4.8 metres of water at the emergency operating centre. It was a bit scary for us, and we were hoping that it would not increase any more, because we were on the second floor, and frankly, when we saw the water climbing, it was a scary experience for us.”
The mayor stated that Black River, situated in the severely affected south-western region of the area, is lacking running water and power, and the majority of structures have had their roofs. One official previously characterized the town as flooded, with over 500,000 residents without power. A landslide has obstructed the primary routes of Santa Cruz, where streets have been turned to muddy tracks. Locals are now removing water from their homes and trying to rescue their possessions.
Rescue efforts and damage assessments have become extremely difficult because every one of the town’s transport and critical services such as fire, police, hospitals and grocery stores were “severely damaged,” says the mayor.
He is now concentrating on working to help the most vulnerable, while also dealing with the personal impact of the devastation.
“My vehicle was totally covered by water. The roofing was lost, so I do understand the pain that people are feeling, but what is a priority for me now is to focus on getting assistance for the most at-risk at this point,” he says.
The mayor estimates that it will take millions of local currency to restore the community after the hurricane's annihilation. At present, he states, the priority is removing debris from blocked routes, which have cut off the town.
“Efforts are underway to get the main roads and critical lateral roads here so that we can get relief supplies in. Most 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 adds.
The prime minister has witnessed the devastation personally, with an aerial tour of the area showing 80 to 90% of buildings in the area had been lost.
“It is going to be a enormous undertaking to rebuild this historic town. But while it is destroyed, we can envision a future of it emerging stronger and better,” he informed local media.
“It will be accomplished. So maintain the positive outlook, remain hopeful, and we will overcome this challenge, and we will reconstruct stronger,” he said.
