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This local leader of the town of Black River – an area referred to as “ground zero” for Hurricane Melissa – has shared the immense storm surges and extensive devastation wrought by the disaster.

Reflecting on the harrowing ordeal, Richard Solomon recalled riding out the Category 5 hurricane at an emergency response center.

“The entire town of Black River is in ruins,” he said. “And that devastation is so catastrophic that the national leader designated this area as the worst-hit zone.”

Five individuals from Black River are confirmed to have died, but the mayor mentioned receiving word of other fatalities that remain unconfirmed due to connectivity and transportation difficulties.

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

“We experienced up to 16ft of water at the emergency operating centre. That was a bit scary for us, and we were hoping that it would not increase any further, because we were on the upper level, and frankly, when we saw the water climbing, it was a scary moment for us.”

The mayor explained that Black River, located in the severely affected south-western parish of St Elizabeth, is without water and electricity, and the majority of buildings have lost their roofing. An authority previously characterized the town as under water, with over 500,000 inhabitants without power. A landslide has obstructed the main roads of Santa Cruz, where streets have been turned to mud pits. Residents are now removing water from their houses and attempting to salvage their belongings.

Rescue efforts and damage assessments have proven extremely difficult because every one of the town’s transport and essential facilities such as fire, law enforcement, hospitals and supermarkets were “severely damaged,” notes the mayor.

The mayor is now concentrating on trying to help the neediest residents, while also dealing with the personal impact of the disaster.

“The mayor's car 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 concentrate on securing assistance for the most at-risk at this time,” he explains.

Solomon believes that it will take billions of local currency to rebuild Black River after Melissa’s destruction. For now, he states, the main goal is removing debris from blocked routes, which have cut off 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 supermarkets, if not all, were severely affected so they will be unable to offer goods to persons who are in dire straits at this time,” he adds.

The prime minister has seen the damage first-hand, with an flyover of the region showing the vast majority of buildings in the area had been lost.

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

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