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The local leader of the town of Black River – an area referred to as “ground zero” for Hurricane Melissa – has shared the immense storm surges and extensive devastation wrought by the catastrophe.

Speaking on the traumatic ordeal, the mayor recalled riding out the Category 5 hurricane at an emergency response center.

“The entire town of Black River is in ruins,” he stated. “The destruction is so severe that the prime minister designated this area as the worst-hit zone.”

Several people from the town are confirmed dead, but the mayor mentioned hearing reports of other fatalities that remain unconfirmed due to connectivity and transportation challenges.

“Storm Melissa came around 8 a.m. and lasted for around several hours, during which we were battered with heavy winds and torrential rainfall,” he explained.

“We experienced up to 4.8 metres of flooding at the emergency operating centre. That was a frightening moment for us, and we were praying that it would not increase any further, because we were on the upper level, and frankly, when we saw the water rising, it was a scary experience for us.”

Solomon explained that Black River, located in the hard-hit south-western region of the area, is lacking water and power, and the majority of buildings have lost their roofs. One official earlier described the town as under water, with more than 500,000 residents lacking electricity. A mudslide has obstructed the primary routes of Santa Cruz, where roadways have been turned 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 transport and critical services such as fire, police, hospitals and supermarkets were “severely damaged,” notes the mayor.

He is now concentrating on trying to help the most vulnerable, while also dealing with the personal impact of the disaster.

“The mayor's car was completely covered by water. The roofing went, so I do understand the pain that persons are experiencing, but what is a priority for me now is to concentrate on getting assistance for the most at-risk at this point,” he says.

The mayor believes that it will take millions of local currency to rebuild Black River after Melissa’s destruction. For now, he states, the main goal is removing debris from blocked routes, which have cut off the town.

“Efforts are underway to clear the major thoroughfares and secondary routes here so that we can get aid in. Most of our stores, if not all, were severely affected so they will be unable to offer goods to persons who are in need at this moment,” he adds.

National leadership has witnessed the devastation personally, with an aerial tour of the area showing 80 to 90% of buildings in the area had been destroyed.

“This will be a massive undertaking to restore Black River. But although it is destroyed, we can vision a future of it emerging more resilient and improved,” he told reporters.

“It will be accomplished. So keep the optimism, keep hope alive, and we will overcome this challenge, and we will rebuild better,” he affirmed.