City Leader Leading Rebuilding Work at Hurricane Melissa's Worst-Hit Area

This local leader of the town of Black River – a community referred to as “the epicenter” for the devastating storm – has shared the monstrous flooding and extensive devastation wrought by the disaster.

Reflecting on the harrowing ordeal, the mayor described enduring the Category 5 hurricane at an emergency operating centre.

“Our community of this area is in ruins,” he stated. “The destruction is so severe that the national leader classified this area as ground zero.”

Several people from the town are reported to have died, but the mayor mentioned hearing reports of additional deaths that remain unconfirmed due to connectivity and travel challenges.

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

“We experienced up to 16ft of flooding at the response center. It was a frightening moment for us, and we were hoping that it would not increase any more, because we were on the upper level, and I tell you, when we saw the water rising, it was a terrifying experience for us.”

The mayor stated that the town, located in the hard-hit southwest region of the area, is without running water and electricity, and the majority of structures have had their roofing. An authority earlier characterized the town as under water, with more than 500,000 residents lacking electricity. A mudslide has obstructed the main roads of Santa Cruz, where roadways have been reduced to mud pits. Residents are now sweeping water from their homes and trying to rescue their belongings.

Search and rescue operations and evaluations have become almost impossible because every one of the town’s vehicles and essential facilities such as fire, law enforcement, medical centers and supermarkets were “immensely damaged,” says the mayor.

He is now focused on working to help the most vulnerable, while also coping with the individual toll of the disaster.

“My vehicle was totally 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 aid relief for the most at-risk at this time,” he explains.

The mayor believes that it will take millions of Jamaican dollars to rebuild Black River after the hurricane's destruction. For now, he states, the main goal is clearing blocked routes, which have isolated the town.

“We are now trying to get the main roads and secondary routes here so that we can get aid 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 need at this moment,” he adds.

National leadership has witnessed the damage first-hand, with an aerial tour of the region showing the vast majority of buildings in the area had been lost.

“This will be a massive undertaking to restore this historic town. But although it is damaged, we can vision a future of it emerging more resilient and improved,” he told local media.

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