Mayor Guiding Recovery Work at Storm Melissa's Worst-Hit Area
The mayor of Black River – a community referred to as “the epicenter” for the devastating storm – has shared the immense flooding and widespread devastation wrought by the catastrophe.
Reflecting on the harrowing experience, Richard Solomon described enduring the Category 5 storm at an emergency response center.
“Our community of this area is in ruins,” he stated. “The destruction is so severe that the national leader classified this area as the worst-hit zone.”
Five individuals from the town are reported dead, but Solomon noted receiving word of additional fatalities that remain unconfirmed due to connectivity and transportation challenges.
“Storm Melissa arrived around 8 a.m. and lasted for around several hours, during which we were pounded with heavy winds and torrential rainfall,” he added.
“We got up to 4.8 metres of flooding at the response center. That was a bit scary for us, and we were praying that it would not rise any more, because we were on the second floor, and I tell you, when we saw the water rising, it was a scary experience for us.”
Solomon stated that Black River, located in the severely affected southwest region of the area, is lacking running water and electricity, and the majority of structures have had their roofing. An authority earlier characterized the town as under water, with over 500,000 inhabitants lacking electricity. A mudslide has blocked the primary routes of a nearby area, where streets have been turned to muddy tracks. Locals are now removing water from their homes and trying to rescue their belongings.
Search and rescue operations and evaluations have become extremely difficult because all the town’s vehicles and essential facilities such as fire, law enforcement, medical centers and grocery stores were “severely damaged,” notes the mayor.
The mayor is now concentrating on working to help the most vulnerable, while also coping with the individual toll of the disaster.
“The mayor's car was completely submerged by water. My roof went, so I do understand the suffering that persons are feeling, but what is a priority for me now is to concentrate on getting aid relief for the most vulnerable at this time,” he says.
Solomon estimates that it will take millions of local currency to rebuild the community after the hurricane's destruction. At present, he says, the priority is removing debris from blocked routes, which have isolated the town.
“Efforts are underway to get the major thoroughfares and critical lateral roads here so that we can get relief supplies in. Most of our stores, if not all, were severely affected so they will be unable to offer goods to persons who are in dire straits at this moment,” he says.
The prime minister has witnessed the damage first-hand, with an aerial tour of the region revealing 80 to 90% of roofs in the area had been destroyed.
“This will be a massive task to restore this historic town. But while it is damaged, we can envision a tomorrow of it emerging stronger and improved,” he informed local media.
“It will be accomplished. So keep the optimism, keep hope alive, and we will get through this, and we will reconstruct stronger,” he said.
