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The local leader of the town of Black River – an area referred to as “the epicenter” for Hurricane Melissa – has shared the immense storm surges and extensive devastation wrought by the catastrophe.

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

“The entire town of Black River is in ruins,” he said. “And that devastation is so catastrophic that the national leader classified this area as the worst-hit zone.”

Several people from the town are reported dead, but Solomon mentioned hearing reports of other fatalities that are still being verified due to connectivity and transportation difficulties.

“The hurricane came around eight in the morning and continued for around several hours, during which we were battered with strong gusts and a lot of rain,” he added.

“We got up to 4.8 metres of flooding at the response center. It was a bit scary for us, and we were hoping that it would not increase any further, because we were on the upper level, and frankly, when we saw the water rising, it was a scary moment for us.”

The mayor stated that Black River, situated in the hard-hit south-western region of the area, is lacking water and electricity, and the majority of buildings have lost their roofing. One official earlier described the town as flooded, with over 500,000 residents lacking electricity. A mudslide has obstructed the primary routes of a nearby area, where streets have been turned to muddy tracks. Locals are now removing water from their homes and attempting to salvage their possessions.

Search and rescue operations and damage assessments have become extremely difficult because every one of the town’s vehicles and critical services such as fire, law enforcement, hospitals and grocery stores were “immensely damaged,” says the mayor.

He is now concentrating on trying to help the most vulnerable, while also coping with the individual toll of the devastation.

“The mayor's car was totally submerged by water. My roof was lost, so I do understand the suffering 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.

Solomon estimates that it will take billions of Jamaican dollars to rebuild Black River after Melissa’s destruction. At present, he states, the priority is clearing blocked routes, which have cut off the town.

“We are now trying to clear the major thoroughfares and critical lateral roads here so that we can get relief supplies in. Most 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 adds.

National leadership has witnessed the damage first-hand, with an flyover of the region revealing the vast majority of roofs in the area had been lost.

“This will be a massive task to restore Black River. But although it is destroyed, we can envision a tomorrow of it emerging stronger and better,” he told local media.

“It will be accomplished. So maintain the positive outlook, keep hope alive, and we will get through this, and we will reconstruct stronger,” he said.