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The mayor of Black River – an area described as “ground zero” for the devastating storm – has shared the immense flooding and extensive destruction wrought by the catastrophe.

Reflecting on the traumatic experience, the mayor recalled enduring the intense hurricane at an emergency operating centre.

“Our community of Black River is in ruins,” he stated. “The destruction is so severe that the prime minister designated this area as ground zero.”

Five individuals from Black River are confirmed dead, but Solomon noted receiving word of additional fatalities that remain unconfirmed 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 experienced up to 4.8 metres of flooding at the emergency operating centre. It was a bit scary for us, and we were praying that it would not increase any more, because we were on the upper level, and frankly, when we saw the water rising, it was a terrifying experience for us.”

Solomon explained that the town, situated in the hard-hit south-western parish of St Elizabeth, is lacking running water and power, and the majority of buildings have had their roofing. An authority previously characterized the town as flooded, with more than half a million inhabitants without power. A landslide has blocked the primary routes of a nearby area, where roadways have been turned to mud pits. Residents are now sweeping water from their homes and trying to salvage their possessions.

Search and rescue operations and damage assessments have proven extremely difficult because all the town’s vehicles and essential facilities such as fire, law enforcement, hospitals and grocery stores were “severely damaged,” notes the mayor.

He is now focused on working to help the most vulnerable, while also coping with the personal impact of the disaster.

“My vehicle was totally covered by water. My roof was lost, so I do understand the pain that people are experiencing, but what is a priority for me now is to concentrate on securing aid relief for the most vulnerable at this time,” he says.

The mayor believes that it will take billions of local currency to restore Black River after Melissa’s annihilation. For now, he states, the priority is clearing blocked routes, which have cut off the town.

“Efforts are underway to clear the major thoroughfares and secondary routes here so that we can get aid in. Most of our supermarkets, if not all, were severely affected so they will be unable to offer goods to individuals who are in dire straits at this time,” he says.

The prime minister has witnessed the damage first-hand, with an flyover of the area showing 80 to 90% of buildings in the area had been lost.

“This will be a massive undertaking to rebuild Black River. But although it is destroyed, we can vision a future of it emerging stronger and better,” he told local media.

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