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The mayor of the town of Black River – a community described as “ground zero” for Hurricane Melissa – has detailed the immense flooding and extensive destruction caused by the catastrophe.

Reflecting on the traumatic experience, Richard Solomon described enduring the intense hurricane at an emergency operating centre.

“Our community of Black River is devastated,” he stated. “The destruction is so catastrophic that the national leader designated this area as ground zero.”

Five individuals from Black River are confirmed to have died, but the mayor noted hearing reports of other fatalities that are still being verified due to communication and transportation challenges.

“Storm Melissa arrived around 8 a.m. and continued for around nine hours, during which we were pounded with strong gusts and a lot of rain,” he added.

“We got up to 16ft of flooding at the emergency operating centre. It was a frightening moment for us, and we were praying that it would not increase any further, because we were on the second floor, and frankly, when we saw the water rising, it was a scary experience for us.”

Solomon explained that the town, situated in the severely affected south-western parish of St Elizabeth, is lacking water and power, and the majority of structures have lost their roofing. An authority previously described the town as flooded, with over half a million residents without power. A mudslide has blocked the primary routes of a nearby area, where streets have been reduced to mud pits. Residents are now removing water from their homes and trying to rescue their belongings.

Search and rescue operations and evaluations have proven extremely difficult because all the town’s transport and critical services such as firefighting, law enforcement, medical centers and supermarkets were “severely damaged,” notes the mayor.

The mayor 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 completely covered by water. My roof went, so I fully grasp the suffering that persons are feeling, but what is a key focus for me now is to concentrate on securing assistance for the most at-risk at this time,” he explains.

Solomon believes that it will take millions of Jamaican dollars to restore the community after Melissa’s annihilation. For now, he states, the priority is clearing impassable roads, which have cut off the town.

“Efforts are underway to clear the main roads and critical lateral roads 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 offer goods to persons who are in need at this moment,” he adds.

The prime minister has witnessed the devastation personally, with an flyover of the region showing 80 to 90% of buildings in the area had been lost.

“This will be a enormous undertaking to rebuild this historic town. But while it is destroyed, we can envision a future of it emerging stronger and improved,” he told local media.

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