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The mayor of Black River – an area referred to as “the epicenter” for the devastating storm – has detailed the immense flooding and widespread devastation wrought by the disaster.

Reflecting on the traumatic experience, Richard Solomon described riding out the Category 5 hurricane at an emergency operating centre.

“Our community of this area is devastated,” he stated. “And that devastation is so catastrophic that the prime minister designated this area as the worst-hit zone.”

Several people from Black River are confirmed dead, but Solomon noted receiving word of other deaths that are still being verified due to communication and travel challenges.

“The hurricane came around eight in the morning and continued for around nine hours, during which we were pounded with strong gusts and a lot of rain,” he added.

“We got up to 16ft of flooding 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 rising, it was a scary experience for us.”

Solomon stated that the town, situated in the severely affected south-western region of the area, is without water and electricity, and most buildings have had their roofs. An authority previously characterized the town as flooded, with more than 500,000 inhabitants without power. A mudslide has blocked the primary routes of a nearby area, where streets have been turned to muddy tracks. Residents are now removing water from their houses and trying to rescue their belongings.

Search and rescue operations and damage assessments have proven almost impossible because every one of the town’s transport and critical services such as firefighting, police, hospitals and supermarkets were “severely damaged,” notes Solomon.

He is now concentrating on trying to assist the most vulnerable, while also coping with the individual toll of the devastation.

“The mayor's car was completely submerged by water. The roofing was lost, so I do understand the suffering that persons are feeling, but what is a key focus for me now is to concentrate on securing assistance for the most at-risk at this point,” he explains.

The mayor believes that it will take millions of Jamaican dollars to restore the community after Melissa’s destruction. At present, he states, the main goal is removing debris from impassable roads, which have isolated the town.

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

The prime minister has seen the devastation personally, with an flyover of the region showing 80 to 90% of roofs in the area had been destroyed.

“This will be a massive task to rebuild Black River. But while it is destroyed, we can envision a future of it rising more resilient and improved,” he informed reporters.

“We will get it done. So maintain the positive outlook, remain hopeful, and we will overcome this challenge, and we will reconstruct stronger,” he affirmed.