🔗 Share this article

This local leader of Black River – a community referred to as “the epicenter” for the devastating storm – has detailed the immense storm surges and widespread devastation caused by the disaster.

Speaking on the harrowing experience, the mayor described riding out the Category 5 storm at an emergency response center.

“The entire town of this area is in ruins,” he said. “And that devastation is so catastrophic that the national leader designated this area as the worst-hit zone.”

Several people from Black River are confirmed to have died, but the mayor mentioned receiving word of other deaths that are still being verified due to connectivity and transportation difficulties.

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

“We experienced up to 16ft of flooding 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 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 severely affected south-western region of St Elizabeth, is without running water and power, and most structures have lost their roofs. One official previously characterized the town as under water, with more than half a million residents lacking electricity. A mudslide has blocked the primary routes of Santa Cruz, where roadways have been turned to muddy tracks. Residents are now sweeping water from their homes and trying to rescue their possessions.

Search and rescue operations and damage assessments have become almost impossible because every one of the town’s transport and essential facilities such as firefighting, police, medical centers and grocery stores were “severely damaged,” notes Solomon.

He is now focused on working to help the neediest residents, while also coping with the individual toll of the devastation.

“The mayor's car was completely covered by water. My roof was lost, so I fully grasp the suffering that people are experiencing, but what is a priority for me now is to focus on securing assistance for the most vulnerable at this point,” he explains.

The mayor believes 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 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 relief supplies in. The majority of our stores, if not all, were impacted negatively so they won’t be able to provide supplies to individuals who are in dire straits at this time,” he adds.

National leadership has seen the devastation personally, with an flyover of the region revealing the vast majority of roofs in the area had been lost.

“This will be a enormous task to restore this historic town. But although it is damaged, we can vision a tomorrow of it rising more resilient and better,” he told reporters.

“It will be accomplished. So keep the optimism, keep hope alive, and we will get through this, and we will rebuild better,” he said.