Mayor Guiding Rebuilding Work at Storm Melissa's Ground Zero

This local leader of the town of Black River – an area referred to as “the epicenter” for Hurricane Melissa – has detailed the monstrous storm surges and extensive devastation wrought by the catastrophe.

Reflecting on the traumatic experience, the mayor described enduring the Category 5 storm at an emergency response center.

“The entire town of this area is in ruins,” he said. “The destruction is so catastrophic that the national leader designated this area as the worst-hit zone.”

Several people from Black River are reported to have died, but the mayor noted hearing reports of other deaths that are still being verified due to communication and travel difficulties.

“Storm Melissa arrived around eight in the morning and continued for around nine hours, during which we were battered with heavy winds and a lot of rain,” he explained.

“We experienced up to 4.8 metres of water at the emergency operating centre. That was a bit scary for us, and we were praying that it would not increase any further, because we were on the upper level, and frankly, when we saw the water rising, it was a scary experience for us.”

The mayor explained that the town, situated in the hard-hit south-western parish of the area, is lacking running water and power, and most buildings have lost their roofs. One official previously described the town as flooded, with over 500,000 residents lacking electricity. A landslide has blocked the primary routes of Santa Cruz, where roadways have been reduced to muddy tracks. Residents are now removing water from their houses and attempting to salvage their possessions.

Search and rescue operations and evaluations have become extremely difficult because all the town’s vehicles and critical services such as fire, law enforcement, hospitals and supermarkets were “immensely damaged,” says Solomon.

The mayor is now focused on trying to assist the neediest residents, while also dealing with the personal impact of the devastation.

“My vehicle was completely covered by water. The roofing was lost, so I do understand the suffering that persons are feeling, but what is a key focus for me now is to concentrate on securing assistance for the most at-risk at this point,” he says.

Solomon estimates that it will take billions of local currency to rebuild the community after Melissa’s annihilation. At present, he states, the main goal is clearing blocked routes, which have cut off the town.

“We are now trying to get the main roads and critical lateral roads here so that we can get relief supplies in. Most of our supermarkets, if not all, were severely affected so they will be unable to provide supplies to individuals who are in need at this moment,” he adds.

National leadership has witnessed the devastation personally, with an flyover of the area revealing 80 to 90% of buildings in the area had been destroyed.

“It is going to be a enormous undertaking to restore this historic town. But although it is destroyed, we can vision a tomorrow of it emerging stronger and improved,” he informed reporters.

“It will be accomplished. So maintain the optimism, remain hopeful, and we will overcome this challenge, and we will rebuild better,” he said.