Mayor Guiding Rebuilding Work at Hurricane Melissa's Ground Zero

This local leader of Black River – a community referred to as “ground zero” for Hurricane Melissa – has detailed the immense storm surges and extensive devastation caused by the catastrophe.

Reflecting on the traumatic experience, the mayor recalled riding out the intense storm at an emergency response center.

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

Several people from the town are confirmed dead, but Solomon mentioned receiving word of additional fatalities that are still being verified due to connectivity and travel difficulties.

“The hurricane arrived around eight in the morning and continued for around several hours, during which we were pounded with strong gusts and torrential rainfall,” he explained.

“We experienced up to 16ft of flooding at the response center. That was a frightening moment for us, and we were hoping that it would not increase any more, because we were on the second floor, and I tell you, when we saw the water rising, it was a terrifying moment for us.”

Solomon stated that the town, located in the hard-hit southwest parish of St Elizabeth, is lacking water and power, and most structures have lost their roofs. An authority previously described the town as flooded, with more than 500,000 inhabitants lacking electricity. A landslide has blocked the primary routes of a nearby area, where roadways have been turned to muddy tracks. Residents are now removing water from their homes and attempting to rescue their possessions.

Search and rescue operations and damage assessments have proven almost impossible because all the town’s transport and essential facilities such as firefighting, police, medical centers and supermarkets were “severely damaged,” says Solomon.

He is now focused on trying to help the most vulnerable, while also coping with the personal impact of the devastation.

“My vehicle was completely covered by water. The roofing was lost, so I do understand 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 point,” he explains.

The mayor estimates that it will take millions of Jamaican dollars to rebuild the community after the hurricane's destruction. At present, he states, the priority is clearing blocked routes, which have isolated the town.

“We are now trying to clear the major thoroughfares and secondary routes here so that we can get relief supplies in. The majority of our stores, if not all, were impacted negatively so they won’t be able to provide supplies to individuals who are in need at this time,” he adds.

The prime minister 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 enormous task to rebuild this historic town. But while it is destroyed, we can envision a future of it emerging stronger and improved,” he told reporters.

“We will get it done. So maintain the positive outlook, remain hopeful, and we will overcome this challenge, and we will reconstruct stronger,” he affirmed.