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The mayor of Black River – a community referred to as “ground zero” for Hurricane Melissa – has shared the monstrous flooding and extensive destruction wrought by the catastrophe.

Reflecting on the harrowing experience, the mayor described enduring the Category 5 hurricane at an emergency operating centre.

“The entire town of this area is in ruins,” he said. “And that devastation is so severe that the prime minister classified this area as ground zero.”

Five individuals from the town are reported dead, but the mayor noted receiving word of other fatalities that are still being verified due to connectivity and travel difficulties.

“The hurricane arrived around 8 a.m. and lasted for around several hours, during which we were battered with heavy winds and a lot of rain,” he explained.

“We experienced up to 16ft of flooding at the emergency operating centre. 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 frankly, when we saw the water climbing, it was a terrifying experience for us.”

Solomon explained that the town, situated in the hard-hit southwest region of St Elizabeth, is lacking water and electricity, and the majority of structures have had their roofing. An authority earlier described the town as flooded, with more than half a million residents without power. A mudslide has obstructed the main roads of a nearby area, where roadways have been reduced to muddy tracks. Residents are now removing water from their homes and attempting to rescue their possessions.

Search and rescue operations and evaluations have become extremely difficult because all the town’s transport and critical services such as fire, police, medical centers and supermarkets were “immensely damaged,” says Solomon.

The mayor is now focused on trying to assist the most vulnerable, while also dealing with the individual toll of the devastation.

“My vehicle was totally covered by water. The roofing was lost, so I fully grasp the pain that people are experiencing, but what is a priority for me now is to focus on securing aid relief for the most vulnerable at this point,” he explains.

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 clearing blocked routes, which have cut off the town.

“We are now trying to get the main roads and critical lateral roads here so that we can deliver relief supplies in. Most of our stores, if not all, were impacted negatively so they will be unable to provide supplies to persons who are in need at this time,” he says.

National leadership has witnessed the damage personally, with an flyover of the area revealing the vast majority of roofs in the area had been lost.

“It is going to be a enormous undertaking to restore this historic town. But although it is destroyed, we can envision a future of it emerging stronger and better,” 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.