🔗 Share this article

The local leader of the town of Black River – an area described as “the epicenter” for the devastating storm – has shared the immense storm surges and widespread devastation wrought by the catastrophe.

Reflecting on the harrowing ordeal, the mayor described riding out the Category 5 hurricane at an emergency response center.

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

Several people from Black River are confirmed dead, but the mayor noted receiving word of additional fatalities that remain unconfirmed due to connectivity and travel difficulties.

“Storm Melissa came around 8 a.m. and lasted for around several hours, during which we were battered with strong gusts and a lot of rain,” he added.

“We got up to 16ft of water at the emergency operating centre. That was a bit scary for us, and we were praying that it would not increase any further, because we were on the second floor, and I tell you, when we saw the water rising, it was a scary experience for us.”

The mayor explained that the town, located in the severely affected south-western parish of St Elizabeth, is lacking water and power, and most buildings have had their roofs. An authority previously described the town as under water, with more than half a million inhabitants lacking electricity. A mudslide has blocked the primary routes of a nearby area, where roadways have been turned to mud pits. Locals are now removing water from their houses and attempting to rescue their possessions.

Search and rescue operations and evaluations have become almost impossible because all the town’s transport and critical services such as firefighting, police, hospitals and supermarkets were “immensely damaged,” notes Solomon.

The mayor is now concentrating on working to help the neediest residents, while also coping with the individual toll of the disaster.

“The mayor's car was completely submerged by water. My roof was lost, so I do understand the suffering that persons are experiencing, but what is a priority for me now is to focus on getting aid relief for the most at-risk at this point,” he says.

The mayor estimates that it will take millions of Jamaican dollars to rebuild the community after the hurricane's annihilation. For now, he states, the main goal is clearing blocked routes, which have cut off the town.

“Efforts are underway to get the main roads and secondary routes here so that we can get aid in. Most of our supermarkets, if not all, were severely affected so they won’t be able to provide supplies to individuals who are in need at this moment,” he says.

The prime minister has witnessed the devastation personally, with an flyover of the region revealing the vast majority of roofs in the area had been destroyed.

“It is going to be a massive task to rebuild this historic town. But although it is damaged, we can vision a tomorrow of it emerging stronger and improved,” he told local media.

“It will be accomplished. So maintain the optimism, keep hope alive, and we will overcome this challenge, and we will reconstruct stronger,” he affirmed.