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This mayor of the town of Black River – a community referred to as “the epicenter” for Hurricane Melissa – has detailed the monstrous flooding and extensive destruction wrought by the catastrophe.

Reflecting on the harrowing experience, the mayor recalled enduring the intense storm at an emergency operating centre.

“The entire town of this area is devastated,” he said. “And that devastation is so severe that the prime minister classified this area as ground zero.”

Five individuals from Black River are confirmed to have died, but the mayor noted hearing reports of additional deaths that are still being verified due to communication and transportation difficulties.

“The hurricane arrived around eight in the morning and lasted for around several hours, during which we were pounded with heavy winds and a lot of rain,” he added.

“We experienced up to 4.8 metres of water at the emergency operating centre. That was a frightening moment for us, and we were praying that it would not rise any further, because we were on the upper level, and frankly, when we saw the water rising, it was a scary moment for us.”

The mayor explained that Black River, situated in the hard-hit south-western parish of the area, is lacking water and power, and the majority of buildings have had their roofing. One official previously characterized the town as flooded, with more than half a million inhabitants lacking electricity. A landslide has blocked the primary routes of Santa Cruz, where roadways have been reduced to muddy tracks. Locals are now removing water from their houses and trying to salvage their belongings.

Search and rescue operations and damage assessments have become almost impossible because all the town’s transport and essential facilities such as fire, law enforcement, hospitals and grocery stores were “severely damaged,” notes Solomon.

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

“The mayor's car was completely submerged by water. The roofing was lost, so I do understand the suffering that persons are feeling, but what is a key focus for me now is to focus on securing assistance for the most vulnerable at this point,” he explains.

The mayor believes that it will take billions of Jamaican dollars to rebuild Black River after Melissa’s annihilation. At present, he says, the main goal is removing debris from impassable roads, which have cut off the town.

“Efforts are underway to clear the major thoroughfares and secondary routes here so that we can get aid in. The majority of our stores, if not all, were severely affected so they will be unable to offer goods to individuals who are in need at this time,” he adds.

National leadership has seen the damage first-hand, with an flyover of the region showing the vast majority of roofs in the area had been destroyed.

“This will be a massive undertaking to restore Black River. But although it is damaged, we can vision a future of it emerging stronger and improved,” he told local media.

“It will be accomplished. So maintain the optimism, keep hope alive, and we will get through this, and we will reconstruct stronger,” he said.