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This mayor of the town of Black River – a community described as “the epicenter” for Hurricane Melissa – has detailed the monstrous flooding and extensive devastation wrought by the disaster.

Reflecting on the harrowing ordeal, the mayor described riding out the intense storm at an emergency response center.

“Our community of this area is in ruins,” he stated. “The destruction is so catastrophic that the national leader classified this area as the worst-hit zone.”

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

“The hurricane came around 8 a.m. and continued for around several hours, during which we were battered with heavy winds and a lot of rain,” he added.

“We got up to 16ft of water at the response center. That was a frightening moment for us, and we were hoping that it would not increase any further, because we were on the upper level, and I tell you, when we saw the water rising, it was a scary moment for us.”

Solomon stated that the town, situated in the hard-hit south-western parish of the area, is lacking running water and power, and the majority of buildings have had their roofs. One official previously characterized the town as flooded, with over half a million residents lacking electricity. A landslide has obstructed the main roads of a nearby area, where roadways have been reduced to mud pits. Residents are now sweeping water from their houses and attempting to rescue their belongings.

Search and rescue operations and evaluations have proven extremely difficult because all the town’s vehicles and essential facilities such as fire, police, medical centers and supermarkets were “immensely damaged,” says Solomon.

He is now focused on trying to help the most vulnerable, while also dealing with the personal impact of the devastation.

“My vehicle was completely covered by water. My roof was lost, so I fully grasp the pain that persons are feeling, but what is a priority for me now is to concentrate on securing assistance for the most vulnerable at this time,” he says.

Solomon estimates that it will take billions of Jamaican dollars to restore Black River after the hurricane's annihilation. For now, he says, the main goal is removing debris from blocked routes, which have cut off the town.

“Efforts are underway to get the major thoroughfares and critical lateral roads here so that we can get relief supplies in. The majority of our supermarkets, if not all, were severely affected so they will be unable to offer goods to persons who are in dire straits at this time,” he adds.

The prime minister has witnessed the devastation personally, with an aerial tour of the region revealing 80 to 90% of roofs in the area had been lost.

“This will be a massive task to restore Black River. But while it is destroyed, we can vision a tomorrow of it emerging stronger and improved,” he told reporters.

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