🔗 Share this article

This local leader of Black River – an area described as “the epicenter” for the devastating storm – has shared the immense storm surges and widespread devastation caused by the disaster.

Speaking on the traumatic ordeal, the mayor recalled enduring the intense hurricane at an emergency operating centre.

“Our community of this area is in ruins,” he said. “The destruction is so severe that the prime minister classified this area as the worst-hit zone.”

Several people from Black River are confirmed to have died, but Solomon mentioned receiving word of other fatalities that are still being verified due to communication and travel difficulties.

“Storm Melissa arrived around eight in the morning and lasted for around nine hours, during which we were pounded with strong gusts and a lot of rain,” he explained.

“We got up to 16ft of flooding at the response center. That was a frightening moment for us, and we were praying that it would not increase any more, because we were on the second floor, and I tell you, when we saw the water climbing, it was a scary experience for us.”

The mayor explained that the town, located in the severely affected south-western parish of St Elizabeth, is lacking running water and power, and the majority of structures have lost their roofing. One official earlier characterized the town as flooded, with more than 500,000 inhabitants without power. 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 homes and attempting to salvage their possessions.

Rescue efforts and evaluations have become extremely difficult because every one of the town’s vehicles and essential facilities such as firefighting, law enforcement, medical centers and supermarkets were “severely damaged,” says the mayor.

He is now concentrating on trying to help the most vulnerable, while also dealing with the individual toll of the devastation.

“My vehicle was completely covered by water. The roofing was lost, so I do understand the suffering that people are feeling, but what is a priority for me now is to focus on getting aid relief for the most vulnerable at this point,” he says.

Solomon estimates that it will take billions of Jamaican dollars to restore the community after Melissa’s annihilation. For now, he says, the priority is removing debris from blocked routes, which have cut off the town.

“Efforts are underway to clear the major thoroughfares and critical lateral roads here so that we can deliver aid in. The majority of our supermarkets, if not all, were severely affected so they will be unable to offer goods to individuals who are in need at this time,” he adds.

National leadership has witnessed the devastation personally, with an aerial tour of the area showing the vast majority of roofs in the area had been destroyed.

“This will be a massive task to rebuild Black River. But while it is destroyed, we can vision a future of it emerging more resilient and better,” he told local media.

“It will be accomplished. So keep the positive outlook, remain hopeful, and we will overcome this challenge, and we will reconstruct stronger,” he said.