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This mayor of Black River – an area referred to as “ground zero” for the devastating storm – has shared the monstrous flooding and widespread devastation wrought by the disaster.

Reflecting on the harrowing experience, Richard Solomon recalled riding out the Category 5 storm at an emergency operating centre.

“The entire town of this area is in ruins,” he said. “The destruction is so catastrophic that the prime minister designated this area as ground zero.”

Several people from Black River are confirmed to have died, but Solomon noted hearing reports of other deaths that remain unconfirmed due to communication and transportation challenges.

“Storm Melissa came around 8 a.m. and lasted for around nine 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 frightening moment 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 climbing, it was a scary moment for us.”

Solomon stated that the town, located in the hard-hit southwest region of the area, is without water and power, and most buildings have lost their roofing. An authority previously described the town as under water, with over half a million inhabitants without power. A landslide has blocked the primary routes of Santa Cruz, where streets have been reduced to muddy tracks. Residents are now sweeping water from their houses and trying to salvage their belongings.

Search and rescue operations and evaluations have become almost impossible because every one of the town’s vehicles and essential facilities such as firefighting, law enforcement, hospitals and supermarkets were “severely damaged,” notes the mayor.

He is now focused on working to help the neediest residents, while also dealing with the individual toll of the devastation.

“My vehicle was totally submerged by water. My roof was lost, so I fully grasp the suffering that persons are experiencing, but what is a key focus for me now is to focus on getting aid relief for the most at-risk at this time,” he explains.

The mayor believes that it will take billions of Jamaican dollars to restore the community after Melissa’s destruction. For now, he states, the priority is removing debris from impassable roads, which have cut off the town.

“Efforts are underway to clear the main roads and secondary routes here so that we can deliver relief supplies in. The majority of our supermarkets, if not all, were impacted negatively so they won’t be able to provide supplies to persons who are in dire straits at this time,” he adds.

National leadership has seen the devastation first-hand, with an flyover of the area revealing the vast majority of buildings in the area had been destroyed.

“This will be a enormous undertaking to restore this historic town. But although it is damaged, we can vision a future of it rising stronger and better,” he told local media.

“It will be accomplished. So keep the optimism, remain hopeful, and we will get through this, and we will rebuild better,” he affirmed.