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The local leader of the town of Black River – an area referred to as “ground zero” for the devastating storm – has detailed the immense storm surges and extensive destruction caused by the disaster.

Reflecting on the traumatic ordeal, the mayor described riding out the intense storm at an emergency operating centre.

“Our community of this area is devastated,” he said. “The destruction is so severe that the national leader designated this area as ground zero.”

Five individuals from Black River are reported to have died, but Solomon noted receiving word of other deaths that are still being verified due to connectivity and travel challenges.

“The hurricane came around 8 a.m. and lasted for around nine hours, during which we were pounded with strong gusts and a lot of rain,” he added.

“We got up to 4.8 metres of flooding at the emergency operating centre. It was a frightening moment for us, and we were hoping that it would not rise any more, because we were on the second floor, and I tell you, when we saw the water rising, it was a terrifying moment for us.”

Solomon stated that the town, situated in the severely affected south-western parish of the area, is without water and power, and most buildings have lost their roofing. One official previously characterized the town as under water, with more than half a million residents lacking electricity. A mudslide has obstructed the primary routes of Santa Cruz, where streets have been reduced to mud pits. Locals are now sweeping water from their homes and attempting to rescue their belongings.

Search and rescue operations and damage assessments have become extremely difficult because all the town’s transport and essential facilities such as fire, law enforcement, hospitals and supermarkets were “immensely damaged,” notes Solomon.

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

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

Solomon estimates that it will take billions of Jamaican dollars to restore the community after Melissa’s destruction. For now, he states, the main goal is removing debris from blocked routes, which have isolated the town.

“Efforts are underway to get the main roads and secondary routes here so that we can get aid in. Most 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.

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

“This will be a enormous task to rebuild this historic town. But although it is destroyed, we can vision a future of it emerging stronger and improved,” he informed reporters.

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