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The local leader of the town of Black River – a community described as “ground zero” for the devastating storm – has shared the monstrous storm surges and extensive devastation wrought by the catastrophe.

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

“The entire town of this area is devastated,” he said. “The destruction is so severe that the national leader designated this area as the worst-hit zone.”

Five individuals from the town are confirmed dead, but Solomon mentioned hearing reports of additional deaths that are still being verified due to connectivity and travel challenges.

“Storm Melissa came around 8 a.m. and lasted for around several hours, during which we were battered with heavy winds and torrential rainfall,” he explained.

“We experienced up to 4.8 metres of flooding at the emergency operating centre. It was a bit scary for us, and we were hoping that it would not rise any further, because we were on the upper level, and I tell you, when we saw the water climbing, it was a terrifying experience for us.”

The mayor stated that the town, located in the severely affected southwest region of St Elizabeth, is without water and electricity, and the majority of structures have lost their roofing. One official previously described the town as under water, with over 500,000 inhabitants lacking electricity. A landslide has obstructed the primary routes of Santa Cruz, where roadways have been turned to mud pits. Locals are now removing water from their homes and trying to salvage their possessions.

Search and rescue operations and evaluations have proven extremely difficult because all the town’s transport and critical services such as firefighting, law enforcement, hospitals and grocery stores were “immensely damaged,” says Solomon.

The mayor is now concentrating on trying to assist the most vulnerable, while also dealing with the individual toll of the devastation.

“My vehicle was completely covered by water. The roofing went, so I fully grasp the suffering that persons are experiencing, but what is a priority for me now is to focus on securing aid relief for the most vulnerable at this point,” he explains.

Solomon estimates that it will take millions of Jamaican dollars to rebuild Black River after Melissa’s annihilation. For now, he says, the priority is clearing blocked routes, which have cut off the town.

“We are now trying to clear the major thoroughfares and secondary routes here so that we can get relief supplies in. Most of our supermarkets, if not all, were impacted negatively so they will be unable to offer goods to persons who are in need at this time,” he adds.

National leadership has witnessed the damage personally, with an aerial tour of the region revealing the vast majority of buildings in the area had been lost.

“It is going to be a massive undertaking to restore this historic town. But while it is damaged, we can envision a tomorrow of it emerging stronger and improved,” he told local media.

“It will be accomplished. So keep the positive outlook, keep hope alive, and we will get through this, and we will reconstruct stronger,” he said.