🔗 Share this article

The mayor of Black River – a community described as “ground zero” for Hurricane Melissa – has detailed the immense storm surges and extensive destruction caused by the disaster.

Speaking on the harrowing ordeal, the mayor described riding out the intense storm at an emergency response center.

“The entire town of Black River is devastated,” he said. “And that devastation is so severe that the prime minister designated this area as ground zero.”

Several people from the town are confirmed dead, but Solomon noted receiving word of other deaths that remain unconfirmed due to communication and travel challenges.

“Storm Melissa arrived around 8 a.m. and continued for around several hours, during which we were pounded 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 hoping that it would not rise any more, because we were on the upper level, and I tell you, when we saw the water climbing, it was a scary moment for us.”

The mayor explained that the town, located in the hard-hit southwest region of the area, is lacking running water and electricity, and the majority of buildings have had their roofs. One official previously described the town as flooded, with over half a million residents without power. A landslide has blocked the primary routes of a nearby area, where roadways have been turned to muddy tracks. Locals are now removing water from their houses and trying to rescue their belongings.

Search and rescue operations and damage assessments have proven almost impossible because all the town’s transport and critical services such as fire, law enforcement, hospitals and supermarkets were “immensely damaged,” says Solomon.

The mayor is now focused on working to assist the neediest residents, while also dealing with the individual toll of the disaster.

“My vehicle was completely covered by water. My roof went, so I fully grasp the pain that persons are feeling, but what is a key focus for me now is to concentrate on getting assistance for the most at-risk at this time,” he explains.

Solomon estimates that it will take billions of local currency to restore Black River after the hurricane's annihilation. For now, he says, the main goal is clearing impassable roads, which have isolated 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 supermarkets, if not all, were impacted negatively so they will be unable to offer goods to individuals who are in need at this time,” he adds.

National leadership has seen the damage personally, with an flyover of the area revealing the vast majority of roofs in the area had been lost.

“It is going to be a massive undertaking to restore this historic town. But although it is damaged, we can envision a tomorrow of it rising more resilient and improved,” he told reporters.

“We will get it done. So keep the positive outlook, keep hope alive, and we will overcome this challenge, and we will reconstruct stronger,” he affirmed.