City Leader Leading Recovery Efforts at Hurricane Melissa's Epicenter
The mayor of Black River – an area described as “the epicenter” for the devastating storm – has shared the immense flooding and widespread devastation caused by the catastrophe.
Reflecting on the harrowing experience, the mayor described enduring the intense storm at an emergency response center.
“The entire town of this area is devastated,” he stated. “And that devastation is so severe that the prime minister designated this area as the worst-hit zone.”
Five individuals from Black River are reported to have died, but the mayor noted hearing reports of other deaths that remain unconfirmed due to communication and travel challenges.
“The hurricane arrived around eight in the morning and continued for around nine hours, during which we were battered with heavy winds and a lot of rain,” he explained.
“We experienced up to 4.8 metres of water at the response center. It was a frightening moment for us, and we were hoping that it would not rise any more, because we were on the upper level, and I tell you, when we saw the water climbing, it was a scary moment for us.”
The mayor explained that Black River, located in the hard-hit southwest parish of the area, is lacking running water and electricity, and most buildings have lost their roofs. An authority earlier described the town as flooded, with over 500,000 inhabitants without power. A landslide has blocked the primary routes of a nearby area, where streets have been turned to mud pits. Locals are now sweeping water from their homes and attempting to salvage their possessions.
Rescue efforts and evaluations have become extremely difficult because all the town’s vehicles and critical services such as firefighting, law enforcement, hospitals and supermarkets were “severely damaged,” says the mayor.
He is now focused on trying to help the most vulnerable, while also dealing with the personal impact of the devastation.
“My vehicle was totally covered by water. My roof went, so I do understand the suffering that persons 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 estimates that it will take millions of local currency to rebuild the community after the hurricane's destruction. At present, he states, the main goal is clearing blocked routes, which have isolated the town.
“We are now trying to get the major thoroughfares and secondary routes here so that we can deliver aid in. The majority of our supermarkets, if not all, were impacted negatively so they won’t be able to offer goods to persons who are in need at this time,” he adds.
The prime minister has witnessed the devastation first-hand, with an aerial tour of the region revealing the vast majority of buildings in the area had been lost.
“This will be a massive task to restore this historic town. But although it is destroyed, we can vision a future of it emerging stronger and better,” he told local media.
“We will get it done. So keep the positive outlook, keep hope alive, and we will get through this, and we will reconstruct stronger,” he affirmed.
