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This mayor of Black River – an area referred to as “ground zero” for Hurricane Melissa – has detailed the monstrous storm surges and widespread devastation wrought by the disaster.

Reflecting on the traumatic ordeal, the mayor recalled enduring the intense storm at an emergency response center.

“The entire town of this area is devastated,” he said. “And that devastation is so severe that the national leader designated this area as the worst-hit zone.”

Five individuals from Black River are confirmed dead, but the mayor noted hearing reports of other deaths that are still being verified due to communication and transportation challenges.

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

“We experienced up to 4.8 metres of flooding at the emergency operating centre. That was a frightening moment for us, and we were praying that it would not rise any more, because we were on the second floor, and frankly, when we saw the water rising, it was a scary experience for us.”

The mayor explained that Black River, located in the severely affected southwest parish of St Elizabeth, is lacking running water and electricity, and the majority of buildings have had their roofing. An authority previously characterized the town as under water, with more than 500,000 residents without power. A landslide has obstructed the primary routes of a nearby area, where streets have been reduced to muddy tracks. Locals are now sweeping water from their homes and attempting to rescue their possessions.

Search and rescue operations and damage assessments have proven almost impossible because all the town’s vehicles and essential facilities such as firefighting, police, medical centers and supermarkets were “severely damaged,” says the mayor.

The mayor is now focused on trying to assist the neediest residents, while also dealing with the personal impact of the devastation.

“My vehicle was totally covered by water. My roof was lost, so I do understand the suffering that people are experiencing, but what is a priority 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 Jamaican dollars to rebuild Black River after the hurricane's annihilation. At present, he says, the main goal is removing debris from impassable roads, 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. The majority of our stores, if not all, were impacted negatively so they will be unable to provide supplies to individuals who are in dire straits at this moment,” he says.

The prime minister has witnessed the devastation first-hand, with an aerial tour of the area showing the vast majority of roofs in the area had been destroyed.

“This will be a enormous task to rebuild Black River. But although it is destroyed, we can envision a tomorrow of it emerging more resilient and improved,” he informed reporters.

“It will be accomplished. So maintain the optimism, remain hopeful, and we will get through this, and we will reconstruct stronger,” he affirmed.