🔗 Share this article

The mayor of Black River – an area referred to as “the epicenter” for Hurricane Melissa – has detailed the monstrous flooding and widespread devastation wrought by the catastrophe.

Reflecting on the traumatic ordeal, the mayor recalled enduring the Category 5 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 the town are reported to have died, but Solomon mentioned hearing reports of additional deaths that remain unconfirmed due to communication and travel difficulties.

“The hurricane came around eight in the morning and continued for around several hours, during which we were pounded with strong gusts and a lot of rain,” he explained.

“We got up to 16ft 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 upper level, and I tell you, when we saw the water climbing, it was a scary moment for us.”

The mayor explained that Black River, located in the hard-hit southwest parish of the area, is without water and electricity, and the majority of structures have lost their roofs. An authority earlier described the town as under water, with more than half a million inhabitants without power. A mudslide has obstructed the primary routes of a nearby area, where streets have been turned to muddy tracks. Residents are now sweeping water from their homes and trying to rescue their possessions.

Rescue efforts and evaluations have proven almost impossible because all the town’s transport and critical services such as firefighting, law enforcement, hospitals and supermarkets were “immensely damaged,” says Solomon.

He is now concentrating on trying to help the most vulnerable, while also dealing with the individual toll of the disaster.

“The mayor's car was completely covered by water. The roofing went, so I do understand the suffering that persons are feeling, but what is a key focus for me now is to focus on securing assistance for the most at-risk at this point,” he says.

The mayor estimates that it will take billions of local currency to rebuild the community after Melissa’s destruction. At present, he says, the main goal is removing debris from impassable roads, which have isolated the town.

“Efforts are underway to clear the major thoroughfares and critical lateral roads here so that we can deliver aid in. Most 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 witnessed the devastation first-hand, with an flyover of the region showing 80 to 90% of buildings in the area had been lost.

“This will be a enormous task to rebuild this historic town. But while it is damaged, we can vision a future of it emerging stronger and better,” he told reporters.

“It will be accomplished. So maintain the optimism, remain hopeful, and we will overcome this challenge, and we will rebuild better,” he said.