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The mayor of the town of Black River – a community referred to as “ground zero” for Hurricane Melissa – has detailed the monstrous storm surges and widespread destruction caused by the catastrophe.

Speaking on the harrowing experience, the mayor described enduring the intense storm at an emergency operating centre.

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

Five individuals from Black River are reported dead, but Solomon noted hearing reports of additional fatalities that are still being verified due to communication and transportation challenges.

“Storm Melissa arrived around 8 a.m. and lasted 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 flooding at the emergency operating centre. That was a bit scary for us, and we were praying 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 scary experience for us.”

The mayor stated that Black River, situated in the severely affected southwest parish of the area, is lacking running water and power, and the majority of structures have lost their roofing. An authority earlier characterized the town as under water, with more than half a million inhabitants lacking electricity. A landslide has obstructed the main roads of a nearby area, where streets have been turned to muddy tracks. Locals are now sweeping water from their homes and trying to rescue their possessions.

Search and rescue operations and evaluations have proven almost impossible because all the town’s vehicles and critical services such as firefighting, law enforcement, hospitals and grocery stores were “severely damaged,” says the mayor.

He is now focused on working to assist the neediest residents, while also coping with the personal impact of the devastation.

“My vehicle was totally covered by water. My roof was lost, so I do understand 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 point,” he says.

The mayor estimates that it will take millions of Jamaican dollars to restore the community after the hurricane's annihilation. At present, he says, the priority is clearing impassable roads, which have cut off the town.

“Efforts are underway to clear the major thoroughfares and critical lateral roads here so that we can deliver relief supplies in. Most of our supermarkets, if not all, were severely affected so they won’t be able to offer goods 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 enormous undertaking to restore this historic town. But while it is damaged, we can vision a future of it rising more resilient and better,” he informed local media.

“We will get it done. So keep the positive outlook, remain hopeful, and we will get through this, and we will rebuild better,” he said.