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This mayor of Black River – a community described as “the epicenter” for Hurricane Melissa – has shared the immense storm surges and widespread devastation caused by the catastrophe.

Reflecting on the traumatic experience, Richard Solomon described riding out the intense storm at an emergency operating centre.

“Our community of Black River is in ruins,” he stated. “The destruction is so severe that the national leader designated this area as the worst-hit zone.”

Several people from the town are reported to have died, but the mayor noted receiving word of other fatalities that remain unconfirmed due to connectivity and transportation challenges.

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

“We got up to 16ft of water at the emergency operating centre. That was a frightening moment for us, and we were praying that it would not increase any more, 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 the town, situated in the severely affected southwest region of St Elizabeth, is lacking water and power, and the majority of buildings have had their roofs. One official earlier described the town as under water, with over 500,000 inhabitants without power. A landslide has obstructed the main roads of Santa Cruz, where streets have been turned to mud pits. Locals are now removing water from their homes and attempting to salvage their belongings.

Search and rescue operations and evaluations have proven extremely difficult because every one of the town’s vehicles and critical services such as firefighting, law enforcement, hospitals and grocery stores were “immensely damaged,” notes the mayor.

He is now concentrating on working to help the most vulnerable, while also coping with the personal impact of the devastation.

“The mayor's car was totally covered by water. My roof went, so I fully grasp the pain that people are feeling, but what is a priority for me now is to concentrate on getting aid relief for the most at-risk at this point,” he says.

Solomon estimates that it will take millions of Jamaican dollars to rebuild Black River after the hurricane's annihilation. For now, he states, the priority is clearing impassable roads, which have cut off the town.

“Efforts are underway to get the major thoroughfares and critical lateral roads 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 need at this moment,” he says.

National leadership has seen the damage first-hand, with an flyover of the region revealing 80 to 90% of buildings in the area had been destroyed.

“It is going to be a massive undertaking to restore this historic town. But while it is damaged, we can vision a tomorrow of it emerging more resilient and improved,” he told reporters.

“We will get it done. So maintain the positive outlook, remain hopeful, and we will overcome this challenge, and we will reconstruct stronger,” he said.