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This local leader of Black River – an area referred to as “the epicenter” for Hurricane Melissa – has shared the immense flooding and widespread destruction caused by the catastrophe.

Reflecting on the traumatic experience, Richard Solomon described riding out the intense hurricane at an emergency operating centre.

“Our community of this area is in ruins,” he stated. “And that devastation is so catastrophic that the national leader designated this area as ground zero.”

Five individuals from the town are reported dead, but Solomon noted receiving word of other fatalities that are still being verified due to communication and travel difficulties.

“Storm Melissa arrived around eight in the morning and continued for around several hours, during which we were battered with heavy winds and torrential rainfall,” he added.

“We got up to 4.8 metres of flooding at the emergency operating centre. That was a frightening moment for us, and we were praying that it would not increase any more, because we were on the upper level, and frankly, when we saw the water climbing, it was a terrifying experience for us.”

Solomon explained that Black River, situated in the severely affected south-western region of St Elizabeth, is lacking running water and electricity, and most structures have had their roofing. An authority earlier characterized the town as under water, with more than 500,000 inhabitants lacking electricity. A landslide has obstructed the main roads of a nearby area, where streets have been reduced to muddy tracks. Residents are now sweeping water from their houses and attempting to rescue their belongings.

Search and rescue operations and evaluations have become extremely difficult because every one of the town’s vehicles and critical services such as firefighting, police, medical centers and supermarkets were “severely damaged,” notes the mayor.

The mayor is now concentrating on working to assist the most vulnerable, while also dealing with the personal impact of the devastation.

“My vehicle was completely covered by water. My roof went, so I do understand the pain that persons are experiencing, but what is a key focus for me now is to focus on getting aid relief for the most vulnerable at this time,” he explains.

The mayor believes that it will take billions of Jamaican dollars to restore the community after Melissa’s annihilation. At present, he states, the priority is removing debris from blocked routes, which have isolated the town.

“We are now trying to clear the major thoroughfares and secondary routes here so that we can get aid in. The majority of our stores, if not all, were severely affected so they won’t be able to offer goods to individuals who are in dire straits at this time,” he adds.

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

“This will be a enormous undertaking to restore Black River. But although it is destroyed, we can envision a tomorrow of it emerging stronger and improved,” he told reporters.

“We will get it done. So maintain the optimism, remain hopeful, and we will overcome this challenge, and we will rebuild better,” he said.