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The local leader of the town of Black River – a community referred to as “the epicenter” for the devastating storm – has shared the immense storm surges and widespread devastation wrought by the disaster.

Speaking on the harrowing experience, the mayor recalled enduring the Category 5 hurricane at an emergency response center.

“Our community of Black River is in ruins,” he said. “And that devastation is so catastrophic that the prime minister designated this area as the worst-hit zone.”

Several people from the town are confirmed dead, but the mayor mentioned hearing reports of additional deaths that remain unconfirmed due to connectivity and transportation challenges.

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

“We got up to 4.8 metres of water at the emergency operating centre. That 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 stated that Black River, located in the hard-hit south-western parish of St Elizabeth, is without running water and power, and most structures have had their roofs. One official previously described the town as under water, with more than 500,000 residents lacking electricity. A landslide has blocked the primary routes of Santa Cruz, where streets have been reduced to mud pits. Residents are now removing water from their homes and trying to salvage their possessions.

Search and rescue operations and damage assessments have proven almost impossible because all the town’s vehicles and essential facilities such as firefighting, police, medical centers and supermarkets were “severely damaged,” notes Solomon.

He is now concentrating on working to help the most vulnerable, while also coping 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 key focus for me now is to focus on getting assistance for the most vulnerable at this point,” he says.

Solomon believes that it will take millions of local currency to restore the community after Melissa’s annihilation. For now, he says, the priority is removing debris from blocked routes, which have isolated the town.

“We are now trying to clear the major thoroughfares and secondary routes here so that we can get relief supplies in. The majority of our stores, if not all, were severely affected so they will be unable to offer goods to persons who are in need at this moment,” he adds.

National leadership has seen the devastation personally, with an aerial tour of the region revealing the vast majority of buildings in the area had been lost.

“It is going to be a enormous task to rebuild this historic town. But while it is destroyed, we can envision a tomorrow of it emerging stronger and better,” he informed reporters.

“It will be accomplished. So maintain the optimism, keep hope alive, and we will overcome this challenge, and we will reconstruct stronger,” he affirmed.