City Leader Leading Rebuilding Efforts at Storm Melissa's Ground Zero

The mayor of the town of Black River – an area referred to as “ground zero” for Hurricane Melissa – has shared the immense storm surges and extensive destruction wrought by the disaster.

Speaking on the harrowing experience, Richard Solomon recalled enduring the intense hurricane at an emergency response center.

“The entire town of Black River is in ruins,” he said. “And that devastation is so catastrophic that the prime minister classified this area as the worst-hit zone.”

Several people from Black River are confirmed to have died, but Solomon noted receiving word of additional fatalities that remain unconfirmed due to connectivity and travel difficulties.

“The hurricane came around 8 a.m. and lasted for around nine hours, during which we were pounded with heavy winds and a lot of rain,” he explained.

“We experienced up to 16ft of flooding at the emergency operating centre. It was a bit scary for us, and we were praying that it would not rise any more, because we were on the second floor, and I tell you, when we saw the water climbing, it was a terrifying experience for us.”

The mayor explained that the town, located in the hard-hit southwest parish of the area, is lacking running water and electricity, and the majority of buildings have lost their roofs. An authority previously characterized the town as flooded, with over half a million inhabitants lacking electricity. A mudslide has obstructed the primary routes of a nearby area, where streets have been reduced to mud pits. Residents are now sweeping water from their homes and trying to rescue their possessions.

Search and rescue operations and evaluations have proven extremely difficult because all the town’s vehicles and essential facilities such as fire, police, hospitals and grocery stores were “immensely damaged,” says Solomon.

He is now concentrating on trying to help the neediest residents, while also coping with the personal impact of the devastation.

“My vehicle was completely covered by water. My roof went, so I do understand the suffering that people are experiencing, but what is a key focus for me now is to focus on securing aid relief for the most vulnerable at this time,” he says.

Solomon believes that it will take billions of local currency to rebuild Black River after the hurricane's annihilation. For now, he states, the priority is clearing blocked routes, which have cut off the town.

“Efforts are underway to get the major thoroughfares and critical lateral roads here so that we can get aid in. The majority of our stores, if not all, were impacted negatively so they won’t be able to provide supplies to persons who are in dire straits at this time,” he adds.

National leadership has seen the damage first-hand, with an aerial tour of the region revealing 80 to 90% of buildings in the area had been destroyed.

“It is going to be a enormous undertaking to restore Black River. But although it is damaged, we can vision a future of it emerging more resilient and better,” he informed reporters.

“It will be accomplished. So keep the positive outlook, keep hope alive, and we will overcome this challenge, and we will reconstruct stronger,” he affirmed.