Mayor Guiding Recovery Work at Hurricane Melissa's Epicenter

This local leader of Black River – a community described as “the epicenter” for the devastating storm – has shared the immense flooding and widespread destruction caused by the catastrophe.

Reflecting on the harrowing ordeal, Richard Solomon described riding out the Category 5 hurricane at an emergency response center.

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

Five individuals from the town are confirmed to have died, but the mayor mentioned receiving word of other fatalities that remain unconfirmed due to connectivity and travel challenges.

“Storm Melissa came around 8 a.m. and lasted for around nine hours, during which we were battered with heavy winds and torrential rainfall,” he explained.

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

The mayor explained that Black River, situated in the hard-hit south-western region of the area, is without running water and power, and the majority of buildings have lost their roofs. One official earlier characterized the town as under water, with more than 500,000 inhabitants without power. A mudslide has blocked the primary routes of Santa Cruz, where streets have been turned to mud pits. Locals are now removing water from their homes and trying to rescue their possessions.

Rescue efforts and damage assessments have proven extremely difficult because every one of the town’s transport and critical services such as fire, law enforcement, medical centers and supermarkets were “immensely damaged,” notes the mayor.

He is now focused on working to assist the most vulnerable, while also dealing with the individual toll of the devastation.

“My vehicle was totally submerged by water. My roof was lost, so I fully grasp the pain that people are experiencing, but what is a priority for me now is to concentrate on getting assistance for the most at-risk at this time,” he explains.

The mayor believes that it will take billions of Jamaican dollars to rebuild the community after Melissa’s annihilation. At present, he says, 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 deliver aid in. Most of our stores, if not all, were impacted negatively so they won’t be able to offer goods to individuals who are in dire straits at this moment,” he says.

The prime minister has witnessed the damage personally, with an aerial tour of the region revealing the vast majority of buildings in the area had been lost.

“It is going to be a enormous task to rebuild this historic town. But although it is destroyed, we can vision a future of it rising stronger and better,” he told local media.

“We will get it done. So maintain the optimism, keep hope alive, and we will overcome this challenge, and we will reconstruct stronger,” he said.