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This mayor of the town of Black River – a community described as “the epicenter” for Hurricane Melissa – has detailed the immense flooding and widespread destruction caused by the disaster.

Reflecting on the harrowing ordeal, the mayor described riding out the intense hurricane at an emergency response center.

“The entire town of this area is in ruins,” he said. “And that devastation is so catastrophic that the prime minister designated this area as ground zero.”

Several people from Black River are reported to have died, but Solomon noted receiving word of additional fatalities that remain unconfirmed due to communication and transportation difficulties.

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

“We got up to 4.8 metres of water at the emergency operating centre. It 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 frankly, when we saw the water climbing, it was a scary experience for us.”

Solomon explained that the town, located in the hard-hit south-western parish of the area, is lacking running water and electricity, and the majority of structures have lost their roofing. An authority earlier characterized the town as flooded, with over 500,000 residents without power. A landslide has blocked the main roads of Santa Cruz, where roadways have been turned to mud pits. Residents are now sweeping water from their homes and attempting to salvage their belongings.

Rescue efforts and damage assessments have proven extremely difficult because all the town’s vehicles and essential facilities such as firefighting, law enforcement, hospitals and supermarkets were “immensely damaged,” notes Solomon.

He is now focused on trying to help the most vulnerable, while also dealing with the individual toll of the devastation.

“The mayor's car was completely submerged by water. The roofing went, so I do understand the pain that people are experiencing, but what is a priority for me now is to concentrate on getting aid relief for the most vulnerable at this time,” he explains.

The mayor believes that it will take billions of Jamaican dollars to restore Black River after the hurricane's annihilation. At present, he states, the main goal is removing debris from impassable roads, which have cut off the town.

“Efforts are underway to clear the main roads and secondary routes here so that we can get relief supplies in. The majority of our supermarkets, if not all, were impacted negatively so they will be unable to offer goods to individuals who are in need at this time,” he says.

National leadership has witnessed the devastation personally, with an flyover of the region showing the vast majority of roofs in the area had been lost.

“It is going to be a massive task to restore Black River. But while it is destroyed, we can envision a tomorrow of it rising stronger and improved,” he told local media.

“We will get it done. So keep the optimism, remain hopeful, and we will get through this, and we will rebuild better,” he affirmed.