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This mayor of the town of Black River – an area described as “ground zero” for Hurricane Melissa – has detailed the monstrous storm surges and widespread devastation wrought by the catastrophe.

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

“Our community of this area is in ruins,” he stated. “The destruction is so severe that the national leader classified this area as ground zero.”

Five individuals from Black River are confirmed dead, but Solomon mentioned receiving word of other fatalities that remain unconfirmed due to connectivity and travel difficulties.

“The hurricane arrived around eight in the morning and lasted for around nine hours, during which we were battered with heavy winds and a lot of rain,” he explained.

“We experienced up to 4.8 metres of flooding at the emergency operating centre. It was a bit scary for us, and we were praying that it would not rise any more, because we were on the second floor, and frankly, when we saw the water rising, it was a terrifying moment for us.”

Solomon explained that the town, situated in the hard-hit southwest region of the area, is without running water and electricity, and the majority of buildings have lost their roofs. One official earlier described the town as flooded, with over half a million residents without power. A landslide has obstructed the main roads of a nearby area, where roadways have been reduced to mud pits. Locals are now sweeping water from their houses and attempting to rescue their belongings.

Search and rescue operations and damage assessments have proven extremely difficult because every one of the town’s transport and essential facilities such as fire, law enforcement, medical centers and supermarkets were “immensely damaged,” says Solomon.

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

“The mayor's car was totally submerged by water. My roof went, so I do understand the suffering that persons are feeling, but what is a priority for me now is to concentrate on securing assistance for the most vulnerable at this point,” he says.

Solomon estimates that it will take millions of Jamaican dollars to rebuild Black River after Melissa’s destruction. For now, he says, the main goal is clearing 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 deliver aid in. The majority of our supermarkets, if not all, were impacted negatively so they will be unable to offer goods to individuals who are in dire straits at this moment,” he says.

The prime minister has seen the damage first-hand, with an flyover of the area showing the vast majority of buildings in the area had been destroyed.

“It is going to be a massive task to restore Black River. But while it is destroyed, we can vision a tomorrow of it emerging stronger and better,” he informed local media.

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