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The local leader of the town of Black River – a community referred to as “ground zero” for the devastating storm – has detailed the immense flooding and extensive devastation wrought by the catastrophe.

Speaking on the harrowing experience, Richard Solomon recalled enduring the Category 5 hurricane at an emergency operating centre.

“The entire town of Black River is in ruins,” he stated. “And that devastation is so severe that the national leader designated this area as ground zero.”

Five individuals from the town are confirmed dead, but Solomon noted receiving word of other fatalities that remain unconfirmed due to communication and transportation difficulties.

“Storm Melissa arrived around 8 a.m. and lasted for around several hours, during which we were pounded with heavy winds and a lot of rain,” he added.

“We experienced 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 more, because we were on the second floor, and frankly, when we saw the water climbing, it was a scary experience for us.”

Solomon stated that Black River, situated in the hard-hit south-western region of St Elizabeth, is without running water and electricity, and the majority of structures have had their roofs. One official previously described the town as under water, with more than half a million residents lacking electricity. A landslide has obstructed the main roads of a nearby area, where streets have been reduced to mud pits. Residents are now sweeping water from their houses and attempting to salvage their possessions.

Search and rescue operations and evaluations have become almost impossible because all the town’s transport and critical services such as fire, police, hospitals and supermarkets were “immensely damaged,” says Solomon.

The mayor is now focused on trying to help the neediest residents, while also coping with the individual toll of the devastation.

“My vehicle was completely submerged by water. My roof was lost, so I do understand the suffering that persons are feeling, but what is a priority for me now is to concentrate on getting aid relief for the most at-risk at this time,” he says.

Solomon believes that it will take billions of Jamaican dollars to rebuild the community after Melissa’s destruction. For now, he says, the main goal is removing debris from blocked routes, which have cut off the town.

“We are now trying to clear the main roads 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 won’t be able to provide supplies to persons who are in dire straits at this time,” he adds.

The prime minister has seen the damage first-hand, with an flyover of the area showing 80 to 90% of roofs in the area had been destroyed.

“It is going to be a massive undertaking to restore Black River. But although it is damaged, we can envision a future of it emerging stronger and improved,” he told local media.

“It will be accomplished. So maintain the optimism, remain hopeful, and we will overcome this challenge, and we will rebuild better,” he affirmed.