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The local leader of the town of Black River – a community described as “the epicenter” for the devastating storm – has shared the monstrous storm surges and extensive destruction wrought by the disaster.

Reflecting on the traumatic experience, Richard Solomon described enduring the Category 5 hurricane at an emergency response center.

“The entire town of Black River is in ruins,” he stated. “The destruction is so catastrophic that the prime minister classified this area as ground zero.”

Several people from Black River are confirmed to have died, but Solomon mentioned receiving word of additional fatalities that are still being verified due to connectivity and transportation difficulties.

“Storm Melissa came around 8 a.m. and continued for around nine hours, during which we were pounded with heavy winds and torrential rainfall,” he explained.

“We got up to 16ft of flooding 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 experience for us.”

The mayor explained that the town, situated in the severely affected southwest parish of St Elizabeth, is lacking water and power, and the majority of buildings have lost their roofing. One official earlier described the town as flooded, with more than 500,000 inhabitants lacking electricity. A mudslide has obstructed the primary routes of Santa Cruz, where streets have been turned to mud pits. Locals are now sweeping water from their houses and trying to rescue their belongings.

Rescue efforts and evaluations have proven extremely difficult because all the town’s transport and essential facilities such as firefighting, law enforcement, medical centers and grocery stores were “immensely damaged,” notes Solomon.

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

“My vehicle was totally submerged by water. The roofing was lost, so I fully grasp the pain that people are feeling, but what is a key focus for me now is to concentrate on securing assistance for the most vulnerable at this time,” he says.

Solomon estimates that it will take millions of local currency to rebuild the community after Melissa’s annihilation. For now, he says, the main goal is removing debris from impassable roads, which have isolated the town.

“We are now trying to get the main roads and secondary routes here so that we can deliver aid in. The majority of our stores, if not all, were severely affected so they won’t be able to provide supplies to persons who are in dire straits at this moment,” he adds.

The prime minister has witnessed the devastation first-hand, with an aerial tour of the region showing 80 to 90% of roofs in the area had been lost.

“This will be a enormous task to rebuild Black River. But while it is damaged, we can vision a tomorrow of it emerging stronger and better,” he told reporters.

“We will get it done. So keep the optimism, remain hopeful, and we will get through this, and we will reconstruct stronger,” he affirmed.