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This local leader of the town of Black River – an area referred to as “ground zero” for Hurricane Melissa – has detailed the monstrous flooding and widespread devastation wrought by the catastrophe.

Speaking on the traumatic ordeal, Richard Solomon described riding out the Category 5 hurricane at an emergency response center.

“The entire town of Black River is devastated,” he said. “The destruction is so severe that the prime minister designated this area as ground zero.”

Five individuals from the town are reported dead, but the mayor noted hearing reports of additional deaths that remain unconfirmed due to connectivity and travel difficulties.

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

“We got up to 16ft of flooding at the response center. That was a bit scary for us, and we were hoping that it would not rise any more, because we were on the upper level, and frankly, when we saw the water climbing, it was a scary moment for us.”

The mayor stated that Black River, situated in the hard-hit south-western parish of St Elizabeth, is without water and electricity, and the majority of structures have had their roofs. One official earlier described the town as under water, with more than 500,000 inhabitants lacking electricity. A mudslide has obstructed the primary routes of Santa Cruz, where streets have been reduced to muddy tracks. Residents are now sweeping water from their homes and trying to salvage their possessions.

Search and rescue operations and evaluations have become almost impossible because every one of the town’s transport and critical services such as firefighting, police, hospitals and grocery stores were “immensely damaged,” notes Solomon.

He is now concentrating on working to assist the neediest residents, while also dealing with the individual toll of the disaster.

“The mayor's car was completely covered by water. My roof was lost, so I fully grasp the pain that persons are feeling, but what is a key focus for me now is to concentrate on securing assistance for the most vulnerable at this time,” he explains.

Solomon believes that it will take billions of Jamaican dollars to rebuild Black River after Melissa’s destruction. For now, he states, the main goal is removing debris from blocked routes, which have isolated the town.

“We are now trying to clear the main roads and critical lateral roads here so that we can get relief supplies in. Most of our stores, if not all, were impacted negatively so they will be unable to provide supplies to individuals who are in need at this moment,” he says.

The prime minister has seen the damage personally, with an flyover of the region showing the vast majority of buildings in the area had been destroyed.

“This will be a massive undertaking to restore Black River. But while it is damaged, we can envision a future of it rising more resilient and improved,” he told reporters.

“We will get it done. So maintain the positive outlook, remain hopeful, and we will overcome this challenge, and we will rebuild better,” he affirmed.