🔗 Share this article

The local leader of the town of Black River – an area described as “ground zero” for the devastating storm – has shared the monstrous storm surges and widespread devastation caused by the catastrophe.

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

“Our community of this area is devastated,” he stated. “The destruction is so severe that the national leader classified this area as ground zero.”

Five individuals from Black River are confirmed to have died, but the mayor mentioned receiving word of additional deaths that are still being verified 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 torrential rainfall,” he added.

“We got up to 16ft of water at the emergency operating centre. That was a frightening moment for us, and we were praying that it would not rise any more, because we were on the second floor, and frankly, when we saw the water climbing, it was a terrifying moment for us.”

The mayor stated that Black River, situated in the severely affected southwest region of the area, is lacking water and electricity, and most buildings have lost their roofs. An authority previously characterized the town as under water, with more than half a million residents lacking electricity. A landslide has obstructed the primary routes of Santa Cruz, where roadways have been reduced to mud pits. Locals are now sweeping water from their homes and attempting to salvage their possessions.

Rescue efforts and damage assessments have become almost impossible because every one of the town’s transport and critical services such as fire, police, medical centers and supermarkets were “severely damaged,” notes Solomon.

The mayor is now concentrating on trying to assist the most vulnerable, while also dealing with the individual toll of the disaster.

“The mayor's car was totally submerged by water. My roof went, so I do understand the pain that people are experiencing, but what is a priority for me now is to focus on getting aid relief for the most at-risk at this time,” he explains.

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

“We are now trying to clear the main roads and secondary routes here so that we can deliver aid in. Most of our supermarkets, if not all, were impacted negatively so they will be unable to provide supplies to individuals who are in need at this moment,” he says.

The prime minister has seen the damage personally, with an aerial tour of the area revealing the vast majority of roofs in the area had been destroyed.

“This will be a enormous task to restore Black River. But although it is damaged, we can vision a future of it rising more resilient and better,” he told reporters.

“It will be accomplished. So maintain the positive outlook, remain hopeful, and we will overcome this challenge, and we will reconstruct stronger,” he affirmed.