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The mayor of Black River – an area referred to as “the epicenter” for Hurricane Melissa – has shared the monstrous storm surges and extensive destruction caused by the catastrophe.

Speaking on the harrowing experience, the mayor described riding out the Category 5 hurricane at an emergency response center.

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

Five individuals from the town are reported dead, but Solomon mentioned receiving word of other deaths that remain unconfirmed due to connectivity and travel challenges.

“Storm Melissa came around eight in the morning and continued for around several hours, during which we were pounded with heavy winds and torrential rainfall,” he explained.

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

Solomon explained that the town, located in the severely affected southwest parish of St Elizabeth, is lacking running water and power, and the majority of buildings have had their roofing. One official previously described the town as under water, with more than 500,000 residents without power. A landslide has obstructed the primary routes of a nearby area, where streets have been turned to muddy tracks. Residents are now sweeping water from their houses and attempting to rescue their possessions.

Rescue efforts and evaluations have proven almost impossible because all the town’s transport and essential facilities such as fire, police, hospitals and supermarkets were “severely damaged,” says Solomon.

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

“My vehicle was totally submerged by water. My roof was lost, so I do understand the suffering that people are feeling, but what is a key focus for me now is to focus on securing assistance for the most vulnerable at this point,” he says.

The mayor believes that it will take billions of local currency to rebuild Black River after Melissa’s annihilation. For now, he says, the main goal is clearing blocked routes, which have isolated the town.

“Efforts are underway to get the major thoroughfares and secondary routes here so that we can get relief supplies in. The majority of our supermarkets, if not all, were impacted negatively so they won’t be able to provide supplies to persons who are in dire straits at this time,” he adds.

National leadership has witnessed the damage first-hand, with an aerial tour of the region showing 80 to 90% of roofs in the area had been destroyed.

“This will be a massive task to restore this historic town. But although it is destroyed, we can envision a tomorrow of it rising more resilient and better,” he told reporters.

“We will get it done. So keep the optimism, remain hopeful, and we will overcome this challenge, and we will reconstruct stronger,” he affirmed.