🔗 Share this article Mayor Leading Rebuilding Work at Hurricane Melissa's Worst-Hit Area This local leader of the town of Black River – a community described as “ground zero” for Hurricane Melissa – has detailed the immense storm surges and widespread destruction wrought by the catastrophe. Satellite photos show the town of Black River before and after the arrival of the powerful hurricane. Reflecting on the traumatic experience, the mayor described enduring the intense storm at an emergency response center. “The entire town of Black River is in ruins,” he said. “The destruction is so catastrophic that the national leader classified this area as ground zero.” Several people from Black River are reported dead, but Solomon mentioned receiving word of additional deaths that are still being verified due to connectivity and travel challenges. “Storm Melissa came around eight in the morning and continued for around several hours, during which we were pounded with heavy winds and a lot of rain,” he explained. City leader of Black River assessing the aftermath in the wake of Hurricane Melissa. “We got up to 16ft of water at the emergency operating centre. It was a frightening moment for us, and we were hoping that it would not rise any further, because we were on the upper level, and I tell you, when we saw the water rising, it was a terrifying moment for us.” The mayor explained that the town, located in the hard-hit southwest region of St Elizabeth, is without water and electricity, and most structures have had their roofs. One official previously described the town as flooded, with over half a million inhabitants without power. A landslide has obstructed the primary routes of a nearby area, where streets have been reduced to muddy tracks. Residents are now sweeping water from their houses and attempting to rescue their belongings. Rescue efforts and damage assessments have become extremely difficult because all the town’s transport and critical services such as fire, police, hospitals and supermarkets were “immensely damaged,” says 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. The roofing went, so I fully grasp the suffering that persons are feeling, but what is a key focus for me now is to focus on getting aid relief for the most vulnerable at this time,” he explains. The mayor estimates that it will take billions of Jamaican dollars to rebuild the community after Melissa’s annihilation. For now, he says, the priority is removing debris from blocked routes, which have cut off the town. “Efforts are underway to get the main roads 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 offer goods to individuals who are in dire straits at this moment,” he adds. National leadership has seen the devastation first-hand, with an flyover of the region showing 80 to 90% of roofs in the area had been lost. “This will be a massive undertaking to rebuild Black River. But although it is damaged, we can vision a tomorrow of it emerging stronger and better,” he told reporters. “We will get it done. So maintain the optimism, remain hopeful, and we will get through this, and we will reconstruct stronger,” he said.