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This mayor of the town of Black River – an area described as “the epicenter” for Hurricane Melissa – has detailed the immense flooding and widespread devastation caused by the disaster.

Speaking on the traumatic experience, Richard Solomon described enduring the Category 5 storm at an emergency operating centre.

“The entire town of this area is devastated,” he stated. “The destruction is so catastrophic that the national leader classified this area as ground zero.”

Five individuals from the town are reported to have died, but Solomon mentioned receiving word of additional deaths that are still being verified due to connectivity and travel difficulties.

“The hurricane came around 8 a.m. and lasted for around nine hours, during which we were battered with heavy winds and torrential rainfall,” he added.

“We got up to 16ft of flooding at the response center. It was a frightening moment for us, and we were hoping that it would not increase any more, because we were on the upper level, and I tell you, when we saw the water climbing, it was a scary experience for us.”

The mayor stated that the town, situated in the severely affected south-western parish of St Elizabeth, is lacking water and power, and most structures have lost their roofs. An authority previously characterized the town as under water, with over half a million inhabitants without power. A landslide has obstructed the primary routes of a nearby area, where roadways have been reduced to mud pits. Residents are now removing water from their homes and trying to rescue their possessions.

Search and rescue operations and damage assessments have proven almost impossible because every one of the town’s vehicles and essential facilities such as firefighting, police, medical centers and grocery stores were “immensely damaged,” notes the mayor.

He is now focused on trying to assist the neediest residents, while also dealing with the personal impact of the disaster.

“My vehicle was completely submerged by water. The roofing was lost, so I do understand the suffering that people 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.

Solomon estimates that it will take billions of local currency to restore Black River after the hurricane's destruction. For now, he says, the priority is clearing impassable roads, which have isolated the town.

“Efforts are underway to clear the main roads and critical lateral roads here so that we can get relief supplies 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.

The prime minister has witnessed the damage first-hand, with an flyover of the area showing 80 to 90% of buildings in the area had been destroyed.

“This will be a massive undertaking to restore this historic town. But although it is damaged, we can envision a future of it emerging stronger and better,” he told local media.

“We will get it done. So maintain the optimism, keep hope alive, and we will get through this, and we will rebuild better,” he affirmed.