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The mayor of the town of Black River – a community referred to as “ground zero” for Hurricane Melissa – has shared the monstrous storm surges and extensive destruction wrought by the disaster.

Speaking on the traumatic ordeal, the mayor described riding out the intense storm at an emergency operating centre.

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

Several people from the town are reported to have died, but Solomon mentioned hearing reports of additional fatalities that remain unconfirmed due to connectivity and transportation difficulties.

“The hurricane arrived around 8 a.m. and lasted for around nine hours, during which we were battered 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 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 terrifying experience for us.”

Solomon stated that Black River, located in the severely affected south-western parish of St Elizabeth, is without water and power, and the majority of structures have had their roofing. An authority previously characterized the town as under water, with over 500,000 residents without power. A mudslide has obstructed the main roads of Santa Cruz, where streets have been turned to mud pits. Residents are now removing water from their homes and attempting to rescue their possessions.

Search and rescue operations and evaluations have become almost impossible because all the town’s vehicles and critical services such as fire, law enforcement, medical centers and grocery stores were “severely damaged,” says Solomon.

The mayor is now concentrating on working to assist the most vulnerable, while also coping with the personal impact of the devastation.

“The mayor's car was completely covered by water. The roofing was lost, so I fully grasp the suffering that people are feeling, but what is a priority for me now is to concentrate on getting aid relief for the most at-risk at this point,” he explains.

The mayor believes that it will take billions of Jamaican dollars to rebuild Black River after the hurricane's annihilation. At present, he states, the main goal is clearing blocked routes, which have isolated the town.

“Efforts are underway to get the major thoroughfares and secondary routes here so that we can get aid in. The majority of our stores, if not all, were severely affected so they won’t be able to provide supplies to individuals who are in need at this time,” he says.

National leadership has seen the damage first-hand, with an flyover of the area revealing 80 to 90% of buildings in the area had been destroyed.

“It is going to be a massive undertaking to rebuild this historic town. But while it is destroyed, we can vision a tomorrow of it rising stronger 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 said.