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This mayor of Black River – an area described as “ground zero” for the devastating storm – has detailed the immense flooding and widespread devastation wrought by the disaster.

Speaking on the harrowing experience, the mayor recalled riding out the intense hurricane at an emergency response center.

“The entire town of Black River is in ruins,” he said. “The destruction 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 noted hearing reports of additional fatalities that are still being verified due to communication and travel difficulties.

“Storm Melissa came around eight in the morning and continued for around several hours, during which we were pounded with strong gusts and torrential rainfall,” he explained.

“We got up to 4.8 metres of water at the response center. That 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 rising, it was a scary moment for us.”

The mayor explained that the town, located in the hard-hit southwest parish of St Elizabeth, is lacking running water and power, and most buildings have had their roofing. An authority earlier described the town as under water, with more than half a million residents without power. A mudslide has obstructed the main roads of a nearby area, where roadways have been turned to muddy tracks. Locals are now removing water from their homes and attempting to rescue their belongings.

Rescue efforts and damage assessments have become almost impossible because all the town’s vehicles and critical services such as firefighting, police, medical centers and grocery stores were “severely damaged,” notes Solomon.

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

“The mayor's car was completely submerged by water. My roof went, so I do understand the suffering that people are experiencing, but what is a key focus for me now is to concentrate on securing assistance for the most at-risk at this point,” he says.

Solomon estimates that it will take millions of Jamaican dollars to rebuild the community after the hurricane's destruction. At present, he says, the main goal is removing debris from blocked routes, which have cut off the town.

“We are now trying to get the major thoroughfares and secondary routes here so that we can deliver relief supplies in. The majority of our stores, if not all, were severely affected so they will be unable to provide supplies to persons who are in need at this time,” he adds.

The prime minister has witnessed the damage personally, with an flyover of the area revealing 80 to 90% of buildings in the area had been lost.

“This will be a enormous task to restore Black River. But although it is destroyed, we can vision a future of it emerging more resilient and improved,” he told local media.

“It will be accomplished. So maintain the positive outlook, remain hopeful, and we will get through this, and we will reconstruct stronger,” he affirmed.