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The mayor of the town of Black River – a community referred to as “ground zero” for the devastating storm – has detailed the monstrous storm surges and extensive devastation caused by the catastrophe.

Reflecting on the traumatic ordeal, Richard Solomon described enduring the Category 5 hurricane at an emergency response center.

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

Five individuals from the town are reported dead, but Solomon noted hearing reports of additional deaths that remain unconfirmed due to connectivity and travel challenges.

“Storm Melissa arrived around 8 a.m. and continued for around several hours, during which we were pounded with heavy winds and a lot of rain,” 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 second floor, and frankly, when we saw the water rising, it was a terrifying moment for us.”

The mayor stated that the town, situated in the severely affected southwest parish of St Elizabeth, is lacking water and electricity, and the majority of buildings have had their roofs. An authority previously characterized the town as flooded, with more than half a million residents without power. A mudslide has obstructed the primary routes of a nearby area, where streets have been reduced to mud pits. Residents are now sweeping water from their homes and trying to salvage their possessions.

Search and rescue operations and evaluations have become almost impossible because all the town’s vehicles and essential facilities such as fire, law enforcement, medical centers and supermarkets were “immensely damaged,” says the mayor.

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

“The mayor's car was totally submerged by water. My roof was lost, so I fully grasp the pain that persons are experiencing, but what is a key focus for me now is to concentrate on securing aid relief for the most vulnerable at this point,” he explains.

The mayor believes that it will take millions of Jamaican dollars to restore Black River after Melissa’s annihilation. At present, he states, the main goal is removing debris from blocked routes, which have cut off the town.

“We are now trying to get the main roads and critical lateral roads here so that we can get aid in. The majority of our stores, if not all, were severely affected so they will be unable to provide supplies to persons who are in dire straits at this time,” he says.

The prime minister has seen the devastation personally, with an flyover of the area revealing 80 to 90% of roofs in the area had been destroyed.

“This will be a massive undertaking to restore this historic town. But although it is destroyed, we can envision a future of it rising more resilient and better,” he told reporters.

“We will get it done. So maintain the optimism, remain hopeful, and we will get through this, and we will reconstruct stronger,” he affirmed.