🔗 Share this article

The mayor of Black River – an area described as “ground zero” for the devastating storm – has detailed the immense storm surges and widespread destruction caused by the catastrophe.

Speaking on the harrowing experience, Richard Solomon described riding out the Category 5 storm at an emergency operating centre.

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

Five individuals from the town are reported to have died, but Solomon noted hearing reports of other deaths that remain unconfirmed due to connectivity and travel challenges.

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

“We experienced up to 16ft of flooding at the response center. 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 I tell you, when we saw the water climbing, it was a terrifying experience for us.”

Solomon explained that the town, situated in the hard-hit south-western region of St Elizabeth, is without running water and electricity, and the majority of structures have had their roofing. An authority earlier described the town as under water, with more than 500,000 inhabitants lacking electricity. A mudslide has obstructed the primary routes of a nearby area, where roadways have been reduced to muddy tracks. Residents are now removing water from their homes and trying to rescue their belongings.

Search and rescue operations and evaluations have become extremely difficult because every one of the town’s vehicles and essential facilities such as firefighting, police, medical centers and grocery stores were “immensely damaged,” notes the mayor.

The mayor is now concentrating on working to help the neediest residents, while also coping with the personal impact of the disaster.

“My vehicle was totally covered by water. My roof was lost, so I fully grasp the suffering that people are experiencing, but what is a priority for me now is to focus on securing aid relief for the most vulnerable at this point,” he says.

Solomon believes that it will take billions of local currency to restore Black River after the hurricane's annihilation. At present, he states, the priority is removing debris from blocked routes, which have isolated 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 impacted negatively so they won’t be able to provide supplies to individuals who are in dire straits at this time,” he adds.

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

“This will be a massive undertaking to rebuild Black River. But while it is destroyed, we can vision a tomorrow of it rising more resilient and improved,” he informed 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 affirmed.