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The mayor of Black River – an area referred to as “ground zero” for the devastating storm – has shared the immense storm surges and extensive destruction wrought by the catastrophe.

Reflecting on the harrowing experience, the mayor recalled riding out the intense hurricane at an emergency operating centre.

“The entire town of Black River is devastated,” he stated. “The destruction is so severe that the prime minister classified this area as the worst-hit zone.”

Five individuals from the town are reported to have died, but Solomon mentioned receiving word of other fatalities that are still being verified due to connectivity and transportation difficulties.

“Storm Melissa came around eight in the morning and lasted for around several hours, during which we were battered with strong gusts and a lot of rain,” he explained.

“We experienced up to 16ft of water 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 upper level, and I tell you, when we saw the water climbing, it was a scary moment for us.”

The mayor explained that Black River, situated in the hard-hit south-western parish of St Elizabeth, is lacking water and power, and the majority of buildings have lost their roofing. One official earlier described the town as under water, with more than 500,000 residents without power. A mudslide has obstructed the primary routes of Santa Cruz, where streets have been turned to mud pits. Locals are now sweeping water from their homes and attempting to salvage their possessions.

Search and rescue operations and evaluations have proven almost impossible because every one of the town’s vehicles and critical services such as firefighting, law enforcement, hospitals and grocery stores were “severely damaged,” notes Solomon.

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

“The mayor's car was totally submerged by water. My roof was lost, so I do understand the suffering that persons are experiencing, but what is a priority for me now is to focus on getting aid relief for the most at-risk at this point,” he says.

Solomon estimates that it will take millions of Jamaican dollars to restore the community after the hurricane's annihilation. At present, 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 critical lateral roads here so that we can get aid in. The majority of our stores, if not all, were severely affected so they won’t be able to offer goods to individuals who are in dire straits at this moment,” he says.

The prime minister has witnessed the devastation first-hand, with an flyover of the region showing the vast majority of roofs in the area had been destroyed.

“This will be a massive undertaking to rebuild Black River. But while it is damaged, we can vision a future of it rising more resilient and better,” he informed reporters.

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