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This mayor of the town of Black River – an area referred to as “ground zero” for Hurricane Melissa – has detailed the immense storm surges and widespread destruction wrought by the disaster.

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

“The entire town of this area is in ruins,” he said. “And that devastation is so catastrophic that the national leader classified this area as the worst-hit zone.”

Several people from the town are confirmed to have died, but Solomon mentioned receiving word of additional deaths that remain unconfirmed due to communication and transportation challenges.

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

“We got up to 4.8 metres of water at the response center. That was a bit scary for us, and we were hoping that it would not increase any further, because we were on the upper level, and I tell you, when we saw the water rising, it was a terrifying moment for us.”

Solomon explained that the town, located in the severely affected south-western parish of St Elizabeth, is without water and electricity, and most structures have had their roofing. An authority previously described the town as under water, with more than half a million inhabitants lacking electricity. A landslide has blocked the main roads of Santa Cruz, where roadways have been turned to muddy tracks. Locals are now removing water from their homes and attempting to rescue their belongings.

Rescue efforts and damage assessments have proven almost impossible because all the town’s vehicles and essential facilities such as firefighting, law enforcement, hospitals and supermarkets were “severely damaged,” notes Solomon.

The mayor is now concentrating on trying to assist the neediest residents, while also dealing with the personal impact of the devastation.

“My vehicle was completely submerged by water. The roofing went, so I do understand the suffering that people are feeling, but what is a priority for me now is to concentrate on securing assistance for the most vulnerable at this point,” he explains.

The mayor estimates that it will take millions of local currency to restore the community after Melissa’s destruction. For now, he states, the main goal is removing debris from impassable roads, which have isolated the town.

“Efforts are underway to clear the major thoroughfares and critical lateral roads here so that we can deliver aid in. The majority of our stores, if not all, were severely affected so they will be unable to offer goods to individuals who are in dire straits at this moment,” he says.

The prime minister has witnessed the damage personally, with an aerial tour of the area revealing the vast majority of roofs in the area had been lost.

“It is going to be a massive undertaking to restore Black River. But although it is damaged, we can envision a future of it rising stronger and improved,” he told local media.

“It will be accomplished. So maintain the optimism, keep hope alive, and we will get through this, and we will rebuild better,” he affirmed.