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The local leader of the town of Black River – a community described as “the epicenter” for the devastating storm – has detailed the monstrous storm surges and widespread devastation wrought by the disaster.

Reflecting on the harrowing ordeal, Richard Solomon described riding out the Category 5 storm at an emergency response center.

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

Five individuals from Black River are reported dead, but Solomon mentioned hearing reports of other fatalities that are still being verified due to communication and transportation challenges.

“Storm Melissa came around 8 a.m. and continued for around nine hours, during which we were battered with strong gusts and a lot of rain,” he added.

“We got up to 16ft of flooding at the response center. It was a frightening moment for us, and we were hoping that it would not rise any further, because we were on the upper level, and frankly, when we saw the water climbing, it was a terrifying moment for us.”

The mayor stated that Black River, located in the hard-hit south-western parish of the area, is lacking water and electricity, and the majority of buildings have had their roofing. An authority earlier described the town as flooded, with over half a million inhabitants lacking electricity. A mudslide has blocked the main roads of Santa Cruz, where streets have been reduced 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 almost impossible because all the town’s vehicles and critical services such as fire, police, hospitals and grocery stores were “immensely damaged,” says Solomon.

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

“My vehicle was totally submerged by water. My roof went, so I do understand the suffering that people are experiencing, but what is a key focus for me now is to focus on getting aid relief for the most vulnerable at this time,” he explains.

The mayor estimates that it will take millions of Jamaican dollars to restore the community after Melissa’s destruction. For now, he states, the priority is clearing impassable roads, which have cut off the town.

“Efforts are underway to get the main roads and secondary routes here so that we can get aid in. Most of our stores, if not all, were impacted negatively so they won’t be able to provide supplies to individuals who are in need at this time,” he says.

The prime minister has seen the damage first-hand, with an flyover of the area revealing the vast majority of roofs in the area had been destroyed.

“It is going to be a enormous undertaking to rebuild this historic town. But although it is destroyed, we can vision a future of it emerging more resilient and better,” he informed reporters.

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