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

Speaking on the traumatic experience, the mayor described riding out the Category 5 hurricane at an emergency operating centre.

“The entire town of this area is in ruins,” he said. “The destruction is so catastrophic that the national leader designated this area as ground zero.”

Several people from the town are reported dead, but Solomon noted receiving word of other deaths that are still being verified due to communication and transportation challenges.

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

“We experienced up to 4.8 metres of flooding at the emergency operating centre. That 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 stated that the town, situated in the severely affected south-western region of St Elizabeth, is lacking running water and power, and the majority of buildings have lost their roofing. One official earlier characterized the town as flooded, with over 500,000 inhabitants lacking electricity. A landslide has blocked the main roads of Santa Cruz, where roadways have been reduced to mud pits. Locals are now removing water from their homes and attempting to salvage their belongings.

Search and rescue operations and evaluations have become extremely difficult because every one of the town’s transport and critical services such as fire, law enforcement, hospitals and grocery stores were “immensely damaged,” notes the mayor.

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

“My vehicle was totally covered by water. My roof was lost, so I fully grasp the suffering that persons are experiencing, but what is a priority for me now is to concentrate on securing aid relief for the most at-risk at this point,” he says.

Solomon believes that it will take millions of local currency to rebuild 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.

“We are now trying 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 severely affected so they will be unable to provide supplies to persons who are in dire straits at this time,” he says.

National leadership has witnessed the devastation first-hand, with an flyover of the region revealing the vast majority of roofs in the area had been lost.

“It is going to be a massive undertaking to restore Black River. But while it is damaged, we can vision a future of it rising more resilient and improved,” he informed reporters.

“It will be accomplished. So keep the positive outlook, keep hope alive, and we will overcome this challenge, and we will reconstruct stronger,” he affirmed.