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This mayor of the town of Black River – an area referred to as “the epicenter” for the devastating storm – has shared the immense storm surges and widespread destruction wrought by the catastrophe.

Reflecting on the harrowing ordeal, Richard Solomon recalled enduring the intense hurricane at an emergency response center.

“Our community of Black River is devastated,” he stated. “And that devastation is so catastrophic that the prime minister designated this area as ground zero.”

Five individuals from the town are reported to have died, but the mayor noted receiving word of additional fatalities that are still being verified due to connectivity and travel challenges.

“Storm Melissa arrived around 8 a.m. and lasted for around nine hours, during which we were pounded with heavy winds and a lot of rain,” he explained.

“We got up to 4.8 metres of water at the emergency operating centre. That was a bit scary 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 terrifying moment for us.”

The mayor stated that the town, situated in the hard-hit south-western region of the area, is lacking running water and power, and the majority of buildings have lost their roofs. An authority previously described the town as under water, with over half a million residents lacking electricity. A landslide has blocked the main roads of Santa Cruz, where roadways have been turned to mud pits. Residents are now sweeping water from their houses and attempting to salvage their belongings.

Search and rescue operations and evaluations have proven extremely difficult because all the town’s transport and critical services such as firefighting, police, medical centers and supermarkets were “immensely damaged,” notes Solomon.

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

“My vehicle was completely covered by water. My roof went, so I do understand the pain that people 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 says.

The mayor estimates that it will take millions of Jamaican dollars to restore the community after Melissa’s annihilation. At present, he says, the main goal is clearing blocked routes, which have cut off the town.

“Efforts are underway to get the major thoroughfares and secondary routes here so that we can get relief supplies in. The majority of our stores, if not all, were severely affected so they won’t be able to offer goods to persons who are in dire straits at this time,” he says.

The prime minister has witnessed the damage personally, with an aerial tour of the region revealing 80 to 90% of buildings in the area had been destroyed.

“This will be a enormous 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, remain hopeful, and we will overcome this challenge, and we will rebuild better,” he affirmed.