🔗 Share this article

The mayor of Black River – a community described as “the epicenter” for the devastating storm – has shared the immense flooding and extensive destruction wrought by the disaster.

Speaking on the traumatic ordeal, the mayor described riding out the Category 5 storm at an emergency operating centre.

“The entire town of Black River is in ruins,” he said. “And that devastation is so catastrophic that the national leader classified this area as ground zero.”

Five individuals from Black River are reported to have died, but Solomon mentioned receiving word of additional fatalities that are still being verified due to connectivity and travel difficulties.

“Storm Melissa arrived around eight in the morning and lasted for around nine hours, during which we were battered with strong gusts and torrential rainfall,” he explained.

“We got up to 4.8 metres of water 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.”

Solomon stated that Black River, located in the severely affected south-western parish of the area, is lacking running water and electricity, and the majority of structures have lost their roofs. An authority previously described the town as flooded, with more than half a million residents without power. A mudslide has blocked the primary routes of a nearby area, where streets have been reduced to muddy tracks. Residents are now sweeping water from their homes and attempting to rescue their possessions.

Rescue efforts and damage assessments have become extremely difficult because all the town’s transport and critical services such as firefighting, police, hospitals and supermarkets were “immensely damaged,” says the mayor.

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

“The mayor's car was totally submerged by water. My roof went, so I fully grasp the pain that people are feeling, but what is a key focus for me now is to focus on securing aid relief for the most vulnerable at this time,” he says.

The mayor estimates that it will take millions of Jamaican dollars to rebuild Black River after the hurricane's destruction. For now, he says, the priority is removing debris from impassable roads, which have cut off the town.

“We are now trying to get the major thoroughfares and critical lateral roads here so that we can deliver aid in. The majority of our stores, if not all, were impacted negatively so they will be unable to provide supplies to persons who are in dire straits at this moment,” he says.

National leadership has witnessed the damage personally, with an flyover of the area showing the vast majority of buildings in the area had been destroyed.

“It is going to be a massive task to restore this historic town. But although it is destroyed, we can envision a tomorrow of it emerging more resilient and better,” he told reporters.

“We will get it done. So keep the optimism, remain hopeful, and we will overcome this challenge, and we will rebuild better,” he said.