🔗 Share this article

This local leader of Black River – an area described as “ground zero” for Hurricane Melissa – has detailed the immense flooding and extensive destruction caused by the catastrophe.

Reflecting on the traumatic ordeal, Richard Solomon described enduring the intense storm at an emergency operating centre.

“The entire town of Black River is devastated,” he stated. “And that devastation is so severe that the prime minister designated this area as the worst-hit zone.”

Several people from the town are confirmed to have died, but the mayor mentioned receiving word of additional fatalities that remain unconfirmed due to communication and transportation challenges.

“Storm Melissa arrived around 8 a.m. and lasted for around nine hours, during which we were pounded with strong gusts and torrential rainfall,” he added.

“We got up to 4.8 metres of flooding at the emergency operating centre. That was a bit scary for us, and we were hoping that it would not increase any further, because we were on the second floor, and frankly, when we saw the water climbing, it was a scary moment for us.”

Solomon explained that the town, situated in the severely affected south-western region of St Elizabeth, is without running water and electricity, and the majority of structures have had their roofs. One official previously described the town as under water, with over half a million inhabitants lacking electricity. A landslide has blocked the main roads of Santa Cruz, where streets have been reduced to muddy tracks. Locals are now removing water from their houses and trying to salvage their possessions.

Rescue efforts and evaluations have become almost impossible because every one of the town’s transport and essential facilities such as firefighting, law enforcement, hospitals and supermarkets were “severely damaged,” says the mayor.

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

“The mayor's car was totally covered by water. My roof was lost, so I fully grasp the suffering that people are feeling, but what is a key focus for me now is to focus on getting aid relief for the most at-risk at this time,” he explains.

The mayor estimates that it will take millions of local currency to rebuild the community after the hurricane's destruction. For now, he says, the priority is clearing blocked routes, which have isolated the town.

“We are now trying to clear the main roads and critical lateral roads here so that we can get relief supplies in. The majority of our supermarkets, if not all, were impacted negatively so they will be unable to provide supplies to individuals who are in need at this time,” he adds.

National leadership has witnessed the damage first-hand, with an aerial tour of the area showing 80 to 90% of roofs in the area had been destroyed.

“This will be a massive undertaking to restore this historic town. But while it is destroyed, we can envision a future of it emerging stronger and better,” he informed local media.

“We will get it done. So maintain the optimism, keep hope alive, and we will get through this, and we will reconstruct stronger,” he said.