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This mayor of the town of Black River – a community referred to as “the epicenter” for the devastating storm – has detailed the immense flooding and widespread destruction wrought by the disaster.

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

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

Five individuals from Black River are reported to have died, but Solomon mentioned hearing reports of additional deaths that remain unconfirmed due to communication and transportation difficulties.

“Storm Melissa arrived around 8 a.m. and lasted for around several hours, during which we were battered with strong gusts and torrential rainfall,” he explained.

“We got up to 16ft of flooding at the response center. That was a bit scary for us, and we were praying that it would not increase any further, because we were on the upper level, and frankly, when we saw the water climbing, it was a terrifying experience for us.”

Solomon explained that Black River, situated in the severely affected south-western region of the area, is without water and electricity, and most buildings have had their roofing. One official previously characterized the town as flooded, with more than half a million residents without power. A landslide has obstructed the main roads of a nearby area, where roadways have been reduced to muddy tracks. Locals are now removing water from their homes and trying to salvage their belongings.

Search and rescue operations and damage assessments have proven extremely difficult because every one of the town’s transport and critical services such as firefighting, law enforcement, medical centers and grocery stores were “immensely damaged,” notes the mayor.

The mayor is now focused on trying to assist the most vulnerable, while also coping with the personal impact of the devastation.

“My vehicle was totally covered by water. My roof was lost, so I do understand the suffering that people are experiencing, but what is a priority for me now is to concentrate on securing assistance for the most vulnerable at this time,” he explains.

Solomon believes that it will take millions of Jamaican dollars to restore the community after the hurricane's destruction. At present, he says, the main goal is removing debris from impassable roads, which have isolated the town.

“We are now trying to get the main roads and critical lateral roads here so that we can get aid in. The majority of our stores, if not all, were severely affected so they won’t be able to offer goods to individuals who are in need at this moment,” he adds.

The prime minister has seen the devastation first-hand, with an flyover of the region revealing 80 to 90% of buildings in the area had been destroyed.

“It is going to be a enormous task to rebuild this historic town. But while it is damaged, we can vision a future of it emerging stronger and better,” he told reporters.

“We will get it done. So maintain the optimism, remain hopeful, and we will overcome this challenge, and we will rebuild better,” he said.