Mayor Leading Recovery Efforts at Storm Melissa's Ground Zero
This local leader of Black River – a community described as “the epicenter” for Hurricane Melissa – has shared the immense flooding and extensive destruction wrought by the catastrophe.
Reflecting on the harrowing experience, the mayor described enduring the intense storm at an emergency operating centre.
“Our community of Black River is devastated,” he said. “And that devastation is so severe that the national leader classified this area as the worst-hit zone.”
Five individuals from Black River are confirmed to have died, but Solomon mentioned receiving word of other deaths that remain unconfirmed due to communication and transportation challenges.
“Storm Melissa came around 8 a.m. and continued for around nine hours, during which we were pounded with strong gusts and torrential rainfall,” he added.
“We got up to 16ft of flooding at the emergency operating centre. That was a frightening moment for us, and we were praying that it would not rise any further, because we were on the second floor, and frankly, when we saw the water rising, it was a terrifying experience for us.”
The mayor explained that the town, situated in the severely affected south-western parish of the area, is without water and power, and the majority of structures have lost their roofs. An authority earlier described the town as flooded, with over 500,000 inhabitants without power. A landslide has blocked the main roads of Santa Cruz, where streets have been reduced to muddy tracks. Locals are now removing water from their houses and attempting to salvage their belongings.
Search and rescue operations and damage assessments have proven almost impossible because all the town’s transport and critical services such as firefighting, law enforcement, medical centers and grocery stores were “severely damaged,” notes Solomon.
He is now focused on trying to help the most vulnerable, while also dealing with the individual toll of the devastation.
“My vehicle was completely submerged by water. My roof went, so I fully grasp the suffering that persons are feeling, but what is a key focus for me now is to concentrate on securing assistance for the most vulnerable at this time,” he explains.
The mayor believes that it will take billions of local currency to rebuild the community after the hurricane's annihilation. For now, he says, the priority is clearing impassable roads, which have isolated the town.
“We are now trying to clear the main roads and critical lateral roads here so that we can deliver relief supplies in. Most of our supermarkets, if not all, were severely affected so they won’t be able to provide supplies to persons who are in need at this moment,” he says.
The prime minister has seen the damage first-hand, with an flyover of the area revealing 80 to 90% of roofs in the area had been lost.
“This will be a massive undertaking to rebuild Black River. But while it is damaged, we can vision a future of it emerging stronger and improved,” he informed reporters.
“We will get it done. So maintain the optimism, remain hopeful, and we will get through this, and we will rebuild better,” he affirmed.
