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This local leader of Black River – a community described as “the epicenter” for the devastating storm – has shared the monstrous storm surges and widespread devastation caused by the catastrophe.

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

“The entire town of Black River is devastated,” he said. “The destruction is so catastrophic that the prime minister designated this area as ground zero.”

Several people from Black River are confirmed dead, but the mayor mentioned hearing reports of other fatalities that are still being verified due to communication and transportation challenges.

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

“We experienced up to 16ft of flooding at the response center. It was a bit scary for us, and we were praying that it would not rise any more, because we were on the upper level, and frankly, when we saw the water climbing, it was a scary experience for us.”

The mayor stated that the town, located in the hard-hit southwest region of St Elizabeth, is without running water and electricity, and most structures have lost their roofing. An authority previously described the town as flooded, with more than half a million residents lacking electricity. A landslide has blocked the primary routes of Santa Cruz, where streets have been turned to muddy tracks. Locals are now sweeping water from their homes and attempting to salvage their belongings.

Rescue efforts and damage assessments have become extremely difficult because all the town’s vehicles and critical services such as firefighting, police, medical centers and supermarkets 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 completely covered by water. The roofing was lost, so I fully grasp the suffering that people are experiencing, but what is a priority for me now is to focus on securing assistance for the most at-risk at this point,” he explains.

Solomon estimates that it will take billions of Jamaican dollars to restore the community after Melissa’s annihilation. For now, he says, the priority is removing debris from impassable roads, which have isolated 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 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 flyover of the region revealing the vast majority of buildings in the area had been lost.

“This will be a enormous undertaking to restore Black River. But although it is destroyed, we can vision a future of it emerging stronger and better,” 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.