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The local leader of the town of Black River – an area referred to as “ground zero” for Hurricane Melissa – has shared the immense flooding and extensive destruction wrought by the catastrophe.

Speaking on the traumatic ordeal, the mayor described riding out the Category 5 storm at an emergency response center.

“The entire town of Black River is devastated,” he stated. “The destruction is so catastrophic that the prime minister designated this area as ground zero.”

Five individuals from Black River are confirmed to have died, but the mayor mentioned hearing reports of other deaths that are still being verified due to communication and travel challenges.

“The hurricane arrived around 8 a.m. and continued for around nine hours, during which we were battered 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 praying that it would not rise any further, because we were on the upper level, and I tell you, when we saw the water climbing, it was a scary experience for us.”

Solomon explained that Black River, located in the severely affected southwest region of St Elizabeth, is lacking running water and power, and most structures have lost their roofing. One official earlier characterized the town as flooded, with over 500,000 residents lacking electricity. A landslide has obstructed the main roads of a nearby area, where streets have been turned to mud pits. Locals are now removing water from their homes and attempting to salvage their possessions.

Rescue efforts and evaluations have become extremely difficult because all the town’s vehicles and critical services such as fire, law enforcement, hospitals and grocery stores were “immensely damaged,” says the mayor.

The mayor is now concentrating on trying to help the most vulnerable, while also coping with the individual toll of the disaster.

“My vehicle was totally submerged by water. My roof was lost, 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 estimates that it will take millions of Jamaican dollars to restore the community after Melissa’s destruction. At present, he says, the main goal is removing debris from impassable roads, which have cut off the town.

“Efforts are underway to clear the main roads and critical lateral roads here so that we can get aid in. The majority of our supermarkets, if not all, were impacted negatively so they won’t be able to provide supplies to persons who are in dire straits at this moment,” he adds.

The prime minister has seen the devastation personally, with an aerial tour of the area revealing the vast majority of buildings in the area had been destroyed.

“This will be a massive undertaking to restore Black River. But although it is damaged, we can envision a tomorrow of it rising more resilient and better,” he told reporters.

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