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This mayor of Black River – an area described as “the epicenter” for Hurricane Melissa – has shared the immense flooding and extensive devastation wrought by the disaster.

Speaking on the harrowing ordeal, the mayor described riding out the Category 5 storm at an emergency operating centre.

“Our community of Black River is devastated,” he stated. “And that devastation is so severe that the prime minister classified this area as ground zero.”

Five individuals from Black River are confirmed to have died, but Solomon mentioned receiving word of additional fatalities that remain unconfirmed due to communication and travel difficulties.

“The hurricane arrived around 8 a.m. and continued for around several hours, during which we were pounded with strong gusts and a lot of rain,” he explained.

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

The mayor explained that the town, situated in the severely affected south-western parish of the area, is lacking water and electricity, and the majority of buildings have lost their roofing. An authority previously described the town as under water, with over half a million inhabitants lacking electricity. A mudslide has obstructed the primary routes of a nearby area, where streets have been turned to mud pits. Residents are now sweeping water from their houses and trying to salvage their belongings.

Search and rescue operations and evaluations have proven extremely difficult because every one of the town’s transport and critical services such as firefighting, law enforcement, medical centers and grocery stores were “immensely damaged,” notes the mayor.

He is now focused on trying to help the neediest residents, while also dealing with the personal impact of the disaster.

“The mayor's car was completely submerged by water. My roof was lost, so I fully grasp the suffering that people are feeling, but what is a key focus for me now is to concentrate on securing aid relief for the most vulnerable at this point,” he explains.

Solomon believes that it will take billions of local currency to rebuild Black River after the hurricane's destruction. At present, he states, the priority is removing debris from impassable roads, which have isolated the town.

“We are now trying to get the main roads and secondary routes here so that we can deliver aid in. The majority of our supermarkets, 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.

National leadership has seen the damage personally, with an flyover of the area showing 80 to 90% of roofs in the area had been lost.

“It is going to be a enormous undertaking to rebuild Black River. But although it is damaged, we can vision a tomorrow of it emerging stronger and better,” he informed reporters.

“It will be accomplished. So maintain the optimism, keep hope alive, and we will get through this, and we will rebuild better,” he said.