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This mayor of Black River – an area described as “ground zero” for the devastating storm – has shared the monstrous flooding and extensive devastation caused by the disaster.

Speaking on the harrowing experience, Richard Solomon described riding out the Category 5 hurricane at an emergency operating centre.

“Our community of Black River is in ruins,” he stated. “The destruction is so catastrophic that the national leader designated this area as ground zero.”

Five individuals from the town are reported dead, but the mayor mentioned hearing reports of additional fatalities that remain unconfirmed due to connectivity and transportation challenges.

“Storm Melissa arrived around eight in the morning and continued for around several hours, during which we were battered with strong gusts and a lot of rain,” he explained.

“We got up to 16ft of flooding at the emergency operating centre. It was a bit scary for us, and we were hoping that it would not rise any more, because we were on the upper level, and frankly, when we saw the water rising, it was a scary moment for us.”

Solomon explained that Black River, situated in the severely affected south-western parish of St Elizabeth, is without running water and electricity, and most structures have had their roofing. An authority previously described the town as flooded, with over 500,000 residents lacking electricity. A mudslide has obstructed the main roads of a nearby area, where streets have been turned to mud pits. Locals are now removing water from their houses and trying to salvage their belongings.

Rescue efforts and damage assessments have become extremely difficult because every one of the town’s vehicles and critical services such as firefighting, law enforcement, medical centers and grocery stores were “immensely damaged,” says the mayor.

He is now concentrating on working to assist the neediest residents, while also coping with the personal impact of the devastation.

“My vehicle was totally submerged by water. My roof went, so I do understand the suffering that persons are feeling, but what is a priority for me now is to focus on securing aid relief for the most vulnerable at this time,” he explains.

The mayor believes that it will take millions of Jamaican dollars to rebuild Black River after the hurricane's annihilation. For now, he says, the main goal is removing debris from blocked routes, which have isolated the town.

“Efforts are underway to get 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 won’t be able to provide supplies to persons who are in need at this time,” he adds.

The prime minister has witnessed the devastation first-hand, with an aerial tour of the area revealing 80 to 90% of buildings in the area had been lost.

“It is going to be a massive task to restore Black River. But although it is damaged, we can vision a future of it rising more resilient and better,” he informed local media.

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