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The mayor of the town of Black River – a community referred to as “the epicenter” for the devastating storm – has shared the immense flooding and extensive devastation wrought by the catastrophe.

Reflecting on the traumatic ordeal, Richard Solomon described enduring the intense hurricane at an emergency operating centre.

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

Several people from the town are confirmed to have died, but the mayor noted hearing reports of other deaths that remain unconfirmed due to communication and transportation difficulties.

“The hurricane arrived around eight in the morning and continued for around several hours, during which we were pounded with heavy winds and torrential rainfall,” he added.

“We experienced up to 16ft of water at the response center. That was a bit scary 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 Black River, located in the hard-hit southwest region of St Elizabeth, is lacking water and electricity, and the majority of buildings have had their roofing. An authority earlier characterized the town as under water, with over 500,000 inhabitants without power. A mudslide has obstructed the main roads of Santa Cruz, where roadways have been reduced to muddy tracks. Residents are now removing water from their houses and attempting to salvage their belongings.

Search and rescue operations and damage assessments have become extremely difficult because all the town’s vehicles and critical services such as fire, police, medical centers and grocery stores were “severely damaged,” notes Solomon.

The mayor is now focused on working to assist the most vulnerable, while also dealing with the personal impact of the devastation.

“The mayor's car was completely submerged by water. My roof went, so I do understand the suffering that people are experiencing, but what is a priority for me now is to focus on securing assistance for the most vulnerable at this point,” he explains.

Solomon believes that it will take billions of Jamaican dollars to restore Black River after Melissa’s destruction. For now, he says, the main goal is clearing blocked routes, which have isolated the town.

“We are now trying to clear the main roads and critical lateral roads here so that we can get aid in. Most of our stores, if not all, were severely affected so they won’t be able to provide supplies to persons who are in need at this moment,” he adds.

The prime minister has witnessed the damage personally, with an aerial tour of the area showing the vast majority of buildings in the area had been destroyed.

“It is going to be a massive task to rebuild this historic town. But although it is destroyed, we can vision a tomorrow of it rising stronger and better,” he informed local media.

“We will get it done. So keep the positive outlook, remain hopeful, and we will overcome this challenge, and we will rebuild better,” he said.