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The mayor of the town of Black River – an area described as “ground zero” for Hurricane Melissa – has detailed the monstrous storm surges and extensive devastation wrought by the disaster.

Reflecting on the traumatic ordeal, Richard Solomon described riding out the Category 5 storm at an emergency operating centre.

“Our community of this area is devastated,” he stated. “And that devastation is so catastrophic that the national leader classified this area as ground zero.”

Several people from the town are reported dead, but Solomon mentioned hearing reports of additional fatalities that remain unconfirmed due to connectivity and travel challenges.

“The hurricane arrived 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 water at the response center. It was a bit scary for us, and we were hoping that it would not rise any more, because we were on the second floor, and frankly, when we saw the water climbing, it was a scary experience for us.”

The mayor stated that Black River, situated in the severely affected southwest parish of St Elizabeth, is without water and electricity, and most structures have had their roofs. An authority earlier characterized the town as under water, with over 500,000 inhabitants without power. A mudslide has obstructed the primary routes of a nearby area, where streets have been reduced to mud pits. Residents are now sweeping water from their houses and attempting to salvage their belongings.

Rescue efforts and evaluations have become almost impossible because every one of the town’s vehicles and essential facilities such as firefighting, law enforcement, hospitals and grocery stores were “severely damaged,” says the mayor.

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

“My vehicle was totally submerged by water. My roof was lost, so I do understand the pain that people are experiencing, but what is a priority for me now is to focus on getting assistance for the most at-risk at this time,” he says.

The mayor believes that it will take millions of local currency to rebuild Black River after the hurricane's annihilation. At present, he states, the priority is removing debris from blocked routes, which have isolated the town.

“Efforts are underway to clear the main roads and secondary routes here so that we can get aid in. Most of our stores, if not all, were severely affected so they won’t be able to offer goods to persons who are in need at this moment,” he says.

National leadership has seen the devastation first-hand, with an aerial tour of the region showing the vast majority of buildings in the area had been lost.

“It is going to be a massive undertaking to restore this historic town. But although it is damaged, we can envision a tomorrow of it emerging stronger and better,” he told local media.

“We will get it done. So keep the optimism, keep hope alive, and we will get through this, and we will reconstruct stronger,” he said.