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This local leader of the town of Black River – an area described as “the epicenter” for Hurricane Melissa – has shared the immense flooding and widespread devastation wrought by the disaster.

Speaking on the harrowing ordeal, the mayor recalled riding out the Category 5 storm at an emergency operating centre.

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

Several people from Black River are confirmed to have died, but Solomon noted hearing reports of additional fatalities that are still being verified due to connectivity and travel challenges.

“Storm Melissa arrived around eight in the morning and lasted for around nine hours, during which we were battered with strong gusts and torrential rainfall,” he added.

“We got up to 4.8 metres of flooding at the emergency operating centre. It was a frightening moment for us, and we were hoping that it would not increase any further, because we were on the second floor, and frankly, when we saw the water climbing, it was a scary moment for us.”

Solomon stated that Black River, situated in the severely affected south-western region of St Elizabeth, is lacking running water and electricity, and the majority of structures have lost their roofs. One official earlier described the town as flooded, with over half a million residents without power. A landslide has obstructed the primary routes of Santa Cruz, where streets have been reduced to mud pits. Locals are now removing water from their houses and trying to salvage their possessions.

Search and rescue operations and damage assessments have proven almost impossible because all the town’s vehicles and critical services such as firefighting, law enforcement, medical centers and supermarkets were “immensely damaged,” notes the mayor.

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

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

The mayor estimates that it will take millions of local currency to restore the community after the hurricane's destruction. For now, he says, the priority is removing debris from blocked routes, which have cut off the town.

“We are now trying to get the major thoroughfares and secondary routes here so that we can deliver relief supplies in. Most 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 moment,” he adds.

National leadership has seen the damage personally, with an aerial tour of the region showing 80 to 90% of roofs in the area had been lost.

“It is going to be a massive task to rebuild Black River. But although it is destroyed, we can envision a future of it rising stronger and improved,” he told reporters.

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