City Leader Guiding Recovery Work at Storm Melissa's Ground Zero

This local leader of the town of Black River – a community described as “ground zero” for the devastating storm – has shared the monstrous flooding and widespread destruction wrought by the catastrophe.

Speaking on the harrowing ordeal, the mayor recalled riding out the Category 5 hurricane at an emergency response center.

“Our community of this area is devastated,” he stated. “And that devastation is so catastrophic that the national leader designated this area as ground zero.”

Several people from Black River are reported dead, but Solomon mentioned hearing reports of additional fatalities that remain unconfirmed due to connectivity and transportation difficulties.

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

“We got up to 4.8 metres of water at the emergency operating centre. It was a frightening moment for us, and we were hoping that it would not rise any further, because we were on the second floor, and I tell you, when we saw the water rising, it was a scary moment for us.”

The mayor stated that the town, located in the hard-hit south-western parish of St Elizabeth, is lacking water and electricity, and the majority of structures have lost their roofing. An authority earlier described the town as under water, with over half a million residents without power. A landslide has blocked the main roads of Santa Cruz, where roadways have been turned to muddy tracks. Locals are now removing water from their homes and attempting to salvage their belongings.

Rescue efforts and evaluations have proven extremely difficult because all the town’s transport and essential facilities such as fire, law enforcement, hospitals and grocery stores were “severely damaged,” says the mayor.

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

“My vehicle was completely submerged by water. My roof went, so I do understand the suffering that persons are feeling, but what is a key focus for me now is to concentrate on getting assistance for the most vulnerable at this point,” he says.

Solomon believes that it will take billions of Jamaican dollars to rebuild Black River after the hurricane's destruction. For now, he states, the main goal is clearing impassable roads, which have isolated the town.

“We are now trying to get the major thoroughfares and secondary routes here so that we can deliver aid in. Most of our supermarkets, if not all, were severely affected so they will be unable to offer goods to individuals who are in dire straits at this time,” he says.

National leadership has witnessed the damage personally, with an aerial tour of the area revealing the vast majority of buildings in the area had been lost.

“This will be a enormous task to restore this historic town. But while it is destroyed, we can envision a future of it emerging stronger and better,” he told local media.

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