City Leader Guiding Rebuilding Work at Hurricane Melissa's Worst-Hit Area
This local leader of Black River – an area described as “ground zero” for the devastating storm – has detailed the monstrous flooding and extensive devastation wrought by the disaster.
Reflecting on the traumatic experience, the mayor described riding out the intense hurricane at an emergency operating centre.
“The entire town of this area is in ruins,” he stated. “The destruction is so catastrophic that the national leader designated this area as ground zero.”
Several people from Black River are confirmed to have died, but Solomon noted receiving word of additional fatalities that remain unconfirmed due to communication and travel challenges.
“The hurricane came around 8 a.m. and continued for around nine hours, during which we were pounded with heavy winds and torrential rainfall,” 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 more, because we were on the upper level, and frankly, when we saw the water rising, it was a scary experience for us.”
The mayor stated that Black River, situated in the hard-hit southwest region of the area, is without water and electricity, and most structures have lost their roofs. One official earlier described the town as flooded, with more than 500,000 inhabitants lacking electricity. A mudslide has blocked the main roads of Santa Cruz, where roadways have been reduced to mud pits. Locals are now sweeping water from their houses and attempting to salvage their belongings.
Search and rescue operations and evaluations have proven almost impossible because every one of the town’s transport and essential facilities such as firefighting, police, hospitals and supermarkets were “severely damaged,” says the mayor.
The mayor is now concentrating on trying to assist the neediest residents, while also coping with the personal impact of the devastation.
“My vehicle was totally covered by water. The roofing was lost, so I fully grasp the suffering that persons are experiencing, but what is a key focus for me now is to focus on getting aid relief for the most at-risk at this point,” he explains.
The mayor estimates that it will take billions of local currency to rebuild the community after Melissa’s annihilation. For now, he says, the priority is removing debris from impassable roads, which have isolated the town.
“We are now trying to clear the major thoroughfares and critical lateral roads here so that we can get aid in. Most of our supermarkets, if not all, were impacted negatively so they will be unable to offer goods to persons who are in dire straits at this time,” he adds.
The prime minister has witnessed the devastation personally, with an flyover of the region revealing the vast majority of buildings in the area had been destroyed.
“It is going to be a enormous task to restore this historic town. But while it is damaged, we can envision a tomorrow of it emerging more resilient and better,” he told local media.
“We will get it done. So keep the positive outlook, keep hope alive, and we will get through this, and we will reconstruct stronger,” he affirmed.