🔗 Share this article

This mayor of Black River – a community described as “ground zero” for the devastating storm – has shared the immense storm surges and widespread devastation wrought by the catastrophe.

Reflecting on the traumatic ordeal, the mayor recalled riding out the intense storm at an emergency response center.

“Our community of this area is devastated,” he said. “The destruction is so severe that the national leader designated this area as the worst-hit zone.”

Five individuals from the town are confirmed to have died, but Solomon mentioned hearing reports of additional fatalities that remain unconfirmed due to communication and travel difficulties.

“Storm Melissa came around 8 a.m. and lasted for around several hours, during which we were battered with heavy winds and a lot of rain,” he added.

“We experienced up to 16ft of water at the response center. That was a frightening moment for us, and we were praying that it would not increase any further, because we were on the second floor, and frankly, when we saw the water rising, it was a terrifying moment for us.”

The mayor explained that the town, situated in the severely affected southwest region of the area, is lacking running water and power, and most buildings have had their roofs. An authority previously described the town as under water, with more than 500,000 residents lacking electricity. A landslide has blocked the main roads of Santa Cruz, where streets have been reduced to mud pits. Residents are now removing water from their homes and trying to salvage their possessions.

Rescue efforts and evaluations have proven almost impossible because all the town’s vehicles and critical services such as firefighting, police, medical centers and grocery stores were “immensely damaged,” says the mayor.

He is now concentrating on working to assist the neediest residents, while also coping with the individual toll of the disaster.

“My vehicle was completely submerged by water. My roof was lost, so I do understand the pain that people are feeling, but what is a priority for me now is to focus on securing assistance for the most at-risk at this point,” he explains.

The mayor believes that it will take millions of local currency to restore the community after Melissa’s annihilation. At present, he states, the priority is removing debris from impassable roads, 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. Most of our stores, if not all, were impacted negatively so they will be unable to offer goods to persons who are in dire straits at this moment,” he says.

The prime minister has witnessed the devastation first-hand, with an flyover of the area revealing 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 destroyed, we can vision a future of it emerging stronger and better,” he informed reporters.

“It will be accomplished. So keep the positive outlook, keep hope alive, and we will overcome this challenge, and we will reconstruct stronger,” he affirmed.