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This local leader of Black River – an area described as “the epicenter” for Hurricane Melissa – has detailed the immense storm surges and extensive devastation caused by the catastrophe.

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

“The entire town of Black River is devastated,” he stated. “And that devastation 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 the mayor noted hearing reports of additional fatalities that remain unconfirmed due to connectivity and travel difficulties.

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

“We experienced up to 16ft of flooding at the emergency operating centre. That 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 rising, it was a terrifying experience for us.”

Solomon stated that the town, situated in the severely affected southwest parish of St Elizabeth, is without running water and electricity, and the majority of buildings have lost their roofing. One official previously characterized the town as under water, with more than half a million residents lacking electricity. A landslide has blocked the primary routes of a nearby area, where streets have been turned to muddy tracks. Residents are now removing water from their homes and trying to salvage their possessions.

Search and rescue operations and evaluations have proven extremely difficult because every one of the town’s vehicles and essential facilities such as fire, law enforcement, hospitals and supermarkets were “immensely damaged,” notes the mayor.

The mayor is now focused on working to assist the most vulnerable, while also coping with the individual toll of the disaster.

“My vehicle was completely covered by water. The roofing 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 time,” he explains.

Solomon believes that it will take billions of local currency to rebuild the community after the hurricane's destruction. For now, he states, the priority is clearing blocked routes, which have cut off the town.

“We are now trying to clear the main roads and secondary routes here so that we can get aid in. The majority of our supermarkets, if not all, were impacted negatively so they won’t be able to offer goods to persons who are in need at this time,” he says.

The prime minister has seen the damage personally, with an aerial tour of the region showing the vast majority of roofs in the area had been lost.

“This will be a enormous undertaking to restore this historic town. But while it is damaged, we can envision a tomorrow of it rising stronger and improved,” he informed local media.

“It will be accomplished. So keep the positive outlook, remain hopeful, and we will overcome this challenge, and we will reconstruct stronger,” he said.