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The local leader of the town of Black River – a community described as “the epicenter” for Hurricane Melissa – has shared the monstrous storm surges and extensive destruction caused by the disaster.

Reflecting on the harrowing ordeal, Richard Solomon recalled riding out the Category 5 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 the worst-hit zone.”

Several people from Black River are reported to have died, but the mayor mentioned receiving word of additional deaths that are still being verified due to connectivity and travel difficulties.

“The hurricane arrived around eight in the morning and lasted for around several hours, during which we were pounded with heavy winds and torrential rainfall,” he explained.

“We got up to 4.8 metres of flooding at the response center. That was a bit scary for us, and we were praying that it would not increase any more, because we were on the second floor, and frankly, when we saw the water climbing, it was a terrifying moment for us.”

The mayor stated that Black River, located in the hard-hit south-western region of St Elizabeth, is lacking water and electricity, and the majority of structures have had their roofs. One official earlier described the town as under water, with over half a million residents without power. A mudslide has obstructed the primary routes of Santa Cruz, where streets have been turned to mud pits. Locals are now sweeping water from their houses and attempting to rescue their belongings.

Search and rescue operations and evaluations have proven extremely difficult because every one of the town’s vehicles and critical services such as fire, police, medical centers and supermarkets were “severely damaged,” says Solomon.

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

“The mayor's car was totally covered by water. The roofing went, so I do understand the suffering that persons are experiencing, but what is a priority for me now is to concentrate on securing aid relief for the most at-risk at this time,” he says.

The mayor believes that it will take billions of local currency to rebuild Black River after Melissa’s annihilation. For now, he says, the priority is clearing blocked routes, which have isolated the town.

“Efforts are underway to get the main roads and secondary routes here so that we can get relief supplies in. Most of our stores, if not all, were severely affected so they won’t be able to provide supplies to persons who are in dire straits at this moment,” he adds.

National leadership has seen the damage first-hand, with an flyover of the area showing the vast majority of roofs in the area had been lost.

“This will be a enormous task to restore this historic town. But while it is destroyed, we can envision a tomorrow of it emerging stronger and better,” he informed local media.

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