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The local leader of Black River – a community referred to as “ground zero” for Hurricane Melissa – has shared the monstrous storm surges and extensive devastation caused by the catastrophe.

Reflecting on the traumatic ordeal, the mayor described enduring the Category 5 storm at an emergency operating centre.

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

Several people from the town are reported to have died, but the mayor noted receiving word of additional fatalities that are still being verified due to connectivity and transportation challenges.

“The hurricane arrived around 8 a.m. and continued for around several hours, during which we were battered with heavy winds and torrential rainfall,” he explained.

“We got up to 4.8 metres of flooding at the emergency operating centre. That was a frightening moment for us, and we were hoping that it would not rise any more, because we were on the second floor, and I tell you, when we saw the water rising, it was a scary moment for us.”

Solomon stated that the town, situated in the severely affected south-western parish of the area, is without water and power, and most structures have had their roofs. An authority previously described the town as flooded, with over half a million residents without power. A mudslide has obstructed the primary routes of Santa Cruz, where roadways have been reduced to mud pits. Residents are now removing water from their houses and attempting to salvage their belongings.

Rescue efforts and damage assessments have become almost impossible because all the town’s vehicles and essential facilities such as fire, law enforcement, medical centers and grocery stores were “severely damaged,” says the mayor.

He is now focused on working to help the neediest residents, while also dealing with the personal impact of the disaster.

“My vehicle was totally submerged by water. The roofing went, so I fully grasp the suffering that people are feeling, but what is a priority for me now is to focus on securing aid relief for the most at-risk at this time,” he explains.

The mayor believes that it will take billions of Jamaican dollars to restore the community after the hurricane's annihilation. At present, he states, the priority is clearing impassable roads, which have isolated the town.

“We are now trying to get the major thoroughfares and secondary routes here so that we can deliver aid in. Most 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 moment,” he adds.

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

“It is going to be a massive undertaking to rebuild this historic town. But while it is damaged, we can vision a future of it rising more resilient and improved,” he informed local media.

“It will be accomplished. So keep the positive outlook, keep hope alive, and we will get through this, and we will reconstruct stronger,” he affirmed.