🔗 Share this article

The mayor of Black River – an area described as “ground zero” for Hurricane Melissa – has shared the immense flooding and extensive devastation caused by the catastrophe.

Speaking on the traumatic experience, Richard Solomon recalled riding out the Category 5 storm at an emergency response center.

“The entire town of this area is in ruins,” he said. “The destruction is so severe that the national leader designated this area as ground zero.”

Five individuals from Black River are reported dead, but Solomon mentioned receiving word of other fatalities that are still being verified due to communication and transportation challenges.

“The hurricane arrived around eight in the morning and continued for around nine hours, during which we were battered with heavy winds and a lot of rain,” he explained.

“We got up to 4.8 metres 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 I tell you, when we saw the water climbing, it was a scary experience for us.”

The mayor stated that Black River, located in the severely affected southwest region of the area, is lacking running water and power, and most structures have lost their roofing. One official earlier described the town as flooded, with more than half a million residents lacking electricity. A landslide has obstructed the main roads of a nearby area, where streets have been reduced to mud pits. Residents are now removing water from their houses and trying to salvage their belongings.

Rescue efforts and evaluations have proven almost impossible because all the town’s vehicles and essential facilities such as fire, police, hospitals and supermarkets were “severely damaged,” says Solomon.

The mayor is now focused on trying to assist the most vulnerable, while also dealing with the personal impact of the devastation.

“My vehicle was totally covered by water. The roofing was lost, so I fully grasp the suffering that people are experiencing, but what is a priority for me now is to concentrate on getting assistance for the most vulnerable at this point,” he says.

Solomon believes that it will take billions of local currency to rebuild the community after the hurricane's annihilation. At present, he states, the main goal is removing debris from impassable roads, which have cut off the town.

“We are now trying to get the main roads and secondary routes here so that we can deliver aid in. Most of our supermarkets, if not all, were severely affected so they won’t be able to offer goods to persons who are in need at this time,” he adds.

The prime minister has seen the devastation personally, with an flyover of the area revealing 80 to 90% of buildings in the area had been lost.

“This will be a massive undertaking to restore this historic town. But although it is destroyed, we can vision a future of it rising more resilient and better,” he informed reporters.

“It will be accomplished. So keep the optimism, remain hopeful, and we will overcome this challenge, and we will rebuild better,” he said.