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

Speaking on the traumatic experience, the mayor described riding out the intense storm at an emergency response center.

“The entire town of this area is in ruins,” he stated. “The destruction is so catastrophic that the national leader classified this area as ground zero.”

Five individuals from Black River are confirmed to have died, but the mayor mentioned receiving word of other fatalities that are still being verified due to communication and transportation challenges.

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

“We got up to 4.8 metres of water at the response center. That 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 I tell you, when we saw the water rising, it was a terrifying moment for us.”

The mayor stated that the town, located in the hard-hit south-western parish of St Elizabeth, is without water and power, and most structures have lost their roofs. An authority earlier characterized the town as under water, with more than half a million inhabitants without power. A mudslide has obstructed the main roads of Santa Cruz, where streets have been turned to muddy tracks. Residents are now removing water from their homes and trying to rescue their possessions.

Search and rescue operations and evaluations have become extremely difficult because every one of the town’s vehicles and critical services such as fire, law enforcement, medical centers and grocery stores were “severely damaged,” notes Solomon.

He is now concentrating on trying to help the neediest residents, while also dealing with the personal impact of the devastation.

“The mayor's car was totally covered by water. My roof was lost, so I fully grasp the suffering that people are feeling, but what is a key focus for me now is to focus on securing aid relief for the most vulnerable at this time,” he explains.

Solomon believes that it will take millions of Jamaican dollars to restore Black River after Melissa’s destruction. For now, he says, the main goal is clearing impassable roads, which have isolated the town.

“We are now trying to get the major thoroughfares and critical lateral roads here so that we can deliver aid in. Most of our supermarkets, if not all, were impacted negatively so they won’t be able to provide supplies to persons who are in dire straits at this time,” he says.

National leadership has witnessed the devastation first-hand, with an aerial tour of the region revealing 80 to 90% of roofs in the area had been destroyed.

“This will be a massive undertaking to rebuild Black River. But although it is destroyed, we can vision a tomorrow of it emerging stronger and better,” he informed reporters.

“We will get it done. So keep the optimism, remain hopeful, and we will overcome this challenge, and we will rebuild better,” he said.