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The mayor of Black River – a community described as “ground zero” for Hurricane Melissa – has detailed the immense storm surges and extensive destruction wrought by the disaster.

Reflecting on the harrowing ordeal, Richard Solomon described riding out the intense storm at an emergency response center.

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

Five individuals from the town are reported to have died, but the mayor noted hearing reports of additional deaths that remain unconfirmed due to communication and travel challenges.

“Storm Melissa arrived around 8 a.m. and continued for around several hours, during which we were battered with heavy winds 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 praying that it would not rise any further, because we were on the second floor, and frankly, when we saw the water rising, it was a scary experience for us.”

Solomon stated that the town, located in the severely affected south-western region of St Elizabeth, is without running water and electricity, and most structures have had their roofs. An authority previously described the town as flooded, with more than 500,000 inhabitants without power. A landslide has obstructed the primary routes of a nearby area, where streets have been turned to muddy tracks. Residents are now removing water from their homes and attempting to salvage their possessions.

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

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

“My vehicle was totally covered by water. The roofing was lost, so I do understand the suffering that persons 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.

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

“We are now trying to clear the main roads and secondary routes here so that we can deliver aid in. The majority of our stores, 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 says.

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

“It is going to be a enormous undertaking to restore Black River. But although it is damaged, we can vision a tomorrow of it emerging stronger and improved,” he told local media.

“We will get it done. So maintain the positive outlook, keep hope alive, and we will overcome this challenge, and we will rebuild better,” he affirmed.