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This local leader of the town of Black River – a community referred to as “ground zero” for Hurricane Melissa – has shared the monstrous flooding and widespread devastation caused by the catastrophe.

Reflecting on the harrowing ordeal, the mayor recalled riding out the Category 5 storm at an emergency response center.

“Our community of this area is in ruins,” he stated. “The destruction is so severe that the prime minister designated this area as the worst-hit zone.”

Several people from the town are confirmed to have died, but Solomon mentioned receiving word of additional deaths that are still being verified due to connectivity and transportation challenges.

“Storm Melissa came around eight in the morning and continued for around several hours, during which we were pounded with heavy winds and a lot of rain,” he explained.

“We experienced up to 16ft of water at the response center. It was a bit scary for us, and we were praying that it would not increase any more, because we were on the second floor, and I tell you, when we saw the water climbing, it was a terrifying experience for us.”

Solomon stated that Black River, located in the severely affected south-western region of St Elizabeth, is lacking water and electricity, and the majority of structures have had their roofs. One official earlier described the town as flooded, with more than half a million residents without power. A landslide has blocked the main roads of a nearby area, where roadways have been reduced to mud pits. Locals are now removing water from their homes and attempting to rescue their belongings.

Rescue efforts and evaluations have become extremely difficult because every one of the town’s transport and critical services such as firefighting, police, hospitals and supermarkets were “severely damaged,” says the mayor.

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

“The mayor's car was completely covered by water. The roofing went, so I do understand the suffering that persons are experiencing, but what is a key focus for me now is to focus on securing aid relief for the most at-risk at this point,” he says.

The mayor believes that it will take millions of Jamaican dollars to restore Black River after Melissa’s destruction. At present, he says, the main goal is removing debris from blocked routes, which have isolated the town.

“We are now trying to clear the main roads and secondary routes here so that we can deliver aid in. Most of our supermarkets, if not all, were impacted negatively so they will be unable to provide supplies to persons who are in dire straits at this time,” he adds.

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

“It is going to be a massive task to restore this historic town. But while it is damaged, we can envision a future of it rising stronger and improved,” he informed local media.

“We will get it done. So keep the positive outlook, remain hopeful, and we will get through this, and we will reconstruct stronger,” he said.