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This mayor of Black River – a community referred to as “ground zero” for Hurricane Melissa – has detailed the immense flooding and widespread devastation wrought by the catastrophe.

Speaking on the harrowing experience, Richard Solomon described enduring the Category 5 hurricane at an emergency response center.

“Our community of Black River is devastated,” he stated. “And that devastation is so catastrophic that the national leader classified this area as the worst-hit zone.”

Several people from Black River are confirmed dead, but Solomon mentioned hearing reports of other fatalities that are still being verified due to communication and travel challenges.

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

“We got up to 4.8 metres of water at the response center. That was a frightening moment for us, and we were hoping 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 scary moment for us.”

The mayor explained that Black River, located in the hard-hit southwest region of St Elizabeth, is without running water and electricity, and the majority of structures have had their roofs. One official previously described the town as flooded, with over half a million residents without power. A landslide has blocked the primary routes of Santa Cruz, where roadways have been reduced to mud pits. Residents are now sweeping water from their houses and attempting to salvage their belongings.

Rescue efforts and evaluations have become extremely difficult because all the town’s transport and critical services such as fire, law enforcement, hospitals and supermarkets were “immensely damaged,” notes the mayor.

He is now concentrating on trying to assist the most vulnerable, while also dealing with the personal impact of the disaster.

“The mayor's car was totally submerged by water. The roofing went, so I fully grasp the pain that people are experiencing, but what is a key focus for me now is to focus on securing aid relief for the most at-risk at this point,” he says.

The mayor believes that it will take billions of local currency to rebuild the community after the hurricane's annihilation. For now, he states, the priority is removing debris from impassable roads, 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 supermarkets, if not all, were impacted negatively so they will be unable to provide supplies to persons who are in need at this time,” he adds.

The prime minister has seen the devastation first-hand, with an aerial tour of the area showing 80 to 90% of buildings in the area had been lost.

“This will be a massive undertaking to rebuild this historic town. But while it is destroyed, we can envision a tomorrow of it emerging stronger and improved,” he informed reporters.

“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.