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This local leader of the town of Black River – an area referred to as “ground zero” for Hurricane Melissa – has detailed the monstrous storm surges and widespread devastation caused by the disaster.

Reflecting on the harrowing experience, the mayor described riding out the Category 5 storm at an emergency operating centre.

“Our community of this area is in ruins,” he said. “And that devastation is so catastrophic that the national leader designated this area as the worst-hit zone.”

Several people from Black River are confirmed dead, but the mayor mentioned hearing reports of additional fatalities that remain unconfirmed due to connectivity and transportation challenges.

“The hurricane came around 8 a.m. and lasted for around several hours, during which we were pounded with strong gusts and a lot of rain,” he explained.

“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 increase any further, because we were on the upper level, and I tell you, when we saw the water rising, it was a scary experience for us.”

Solomon explained that Black River, located in the hard-hit south-western parish of St Elizabeth, is without running water and electricity, and most buildings have had their roofing. One official earlier characterized the town as flooded, with more than 500,000 residents lacking electricity. A mudslide has blocked the main roads of a nearby area, where streets have been turned to muddy tracks. Locals are now removing water from their houses and attempting to rescue their belongings.

Search and rescue operations and evaluations have proven almost impossible because every one of the town’s transport and essential facilities such as firefighting, law enforcement, hospitals and supermarkets were “severely damaged,” notes the mayor.

The mayor is now concentrating on working to help the most vulnerable, while also coping with the personal impact of the devastation.

“My vehicle was totally submerged by water. My roof went, so I do understand the pain that people are experiencing, but what is a key focus 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 Jamaican dollars to rebuild the community after the hurricane's destruction. At present, he says, the priority is removing debris from impassable roads, which have isolated the town.

“Efforts are underway to clear the major thoroughfares and secondary routes here so that we can deliver aid in. The majority of our stores, if not all, were impacted negatively so they won’t be able to provide supplies to persons who are in need at this time,” he adds.

National leadership has seen the damage first-hand, with an aerial tour of the region revealing the vast majority of roofs in the area had been lost.

“This will be a enormous task to rebuild this historic town. But although it is damaged, we can vision a tomorrow of it rising more resilient and better,” he told local media.

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