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

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

“The entire town of this area is devastated,” he stated. “And that devastation is so severe that the prime minister designated this area as the worst-hit zone.”

Several people from the town are confirmed dead, but the mayor mentioned receiving word of other fatalities that are still being verified due to communication and transportation difficulties.

“The hurricane came around eight in the morning and lasted for around several hours, during which we were pounded with strong gusts and a lot of rain,” he added.

“We got up to 16ft of water 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 I tell you, when we saw the water rising, it was a scary experience for us.”

Solomon stated that the town, located in the hard-hit south-western region of St Elizabeth, is lacking water and electricity, and the majority of structures have lost their roofing. An authority previously described the town as flooded, with more than half a million residents lacking electricity. A landslide has blocked the main roads of a nearby area, where streets have been reduced to muddy tracks. Residents are now removing water from their homes and trying to rescue their possessions.

Rescue efforts and evaluations have become extremely difficult because all the town’s transport and essential facilities such as firefighting, police, medical centers and grocery stores were “severely damaged,” says the mayor.

The mayor is now concentrating on working to assist the neediest residents, while also dealing with the individual toll of the disaster.

“The mayor's car was completely submerged by water. My roof went, so I do understand the suffering that persons are experiencing, but what is a priority for me now is to focus on securing assistance for the most at-risk at this time,” he says.

The mayor estimates that it will take billions of local currency to restore Black River after Melissa’s annihilation. For now, he states, the main goal is removing debris from blocked routes, which have cut off the town.

“We are now trying to clear 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 offer goods to persons who are in dire straits at this moment,” he says.

National leadership has seen the damage first-hand, with an aerial tour of the region 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 future of it rising more resilient and better,” he told local media.

“We will get it done. So maintain the positive outlook, keep hope alive, and we will get through this, and we will reconstruct stronger,” he said.