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This mayor of Black River – an area referred to as “ground zero” for Hurricane Melissa – has detailed the immense flooding and widespread destruction wrought by the disaster.

Speaking on the traumatic experience, Richard Solomon described enduring the Category 5 hurricane at an emergency operating centre.

“Our community of this area is devastated,” he said. “The destruction is so catastrophic that the prime minister designated this area as ground zero.”

Five individuals from the town are confirmed dead, but the mayor noted hearing reports of other fatalities that remain unconfirmed due to connectivity and transportation difficulties.

“Storm Melissa arrived around eight in the morning and lasted for around several hours, during which we were battered with strong gusts and torrential rainfall,” he explained.

“We experienced up to 16ft of flooding at the response center. It was a bit scary for us, and we were praying that it would not rise any further, because we were on the upper level, and I tell you, when we saw the water climbing, it was a scary moment for us.”

Solomon explained that Black River, situated in the severely affected southwest region of St Elizabeth, is without water and power, and the majority of buildings have lost their roofs. An authority previously characterized the town as under water, with over half a million inhabitants without power. A mudslide has blocked the primary routes of a nearby area, where roadways have been reduced to mud pits. Residents are now removing water from their houses and trying to rescue their belongings.

Rescue efforts and evaluations have proven almost impossible because every one of the town’s transport and essential facilities such as fire, law enforcement, hospitals and supermarkets were “immensely damaged,” says Solomon.

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

“My vehicle was completely covered by water. The roofing was lost, so I fully grasp the suffering that people are experiencing, but what is a key focus for me now is to focus on securing assistance for the most vulnerable at this time,” he says.

The mayor believes that it will take millions of local currency to restore Black River after the hurricane's destruction. For now, he states, the main goal is removing debris from blocked routes, which have cut off the town.

“Efforts are underway to get the main roads and secondary routes 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 provide supplies to individuals who are in dire straits at this time,” he adds.

National leadership has witnessed the devastation first-hand, with an flyover of the region showing 80 to 90% of buildings in the area had been destroyed.

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

“It will be accomplished. So keep the positive outlook, remain hopeful, and we will overcome this challenge, and we will rebuild better,” he affirmed.