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The local leader of Black River – a community referred to as “the epicenter” for Hurricane Melissa – has detailed the immense flooding and extensive devastation caused by the disaster.

Speaking on the traumatic ordeal, Richard Solomon described enduring the Category 5 hurricane at an emergency operating centre.

“Our community of this area is devastated,” he stated. “And that devastation is so severe that the prime minister classified this area as the worst-hit zone.”

Five individuals from Black River are confirmed dead, but Solomon noted receiving word of other fatalities that remain unconfirmed due to communication and transportation challenges.

“The hurricane arrived around eight in the morning and continued for around nine hours, during which we were battered with strong gusts and torrential rainfall,” he explained.

“We experienced up to 4.8 metres of flooding at the emergency operating centre. That was a bit scary for us, and we were praying that it would not increase any more, because we were on the second floor, and frankly, when we saw the water climbing, it was a terrifying moment for us.”

The mayor stated that Black River, situated in the hard-hit southwest parish of St Elizabeth, is without water and power, and the majority of structures have had their roofs. An authority previously characterized the town as under water, with more than half a million residents lacking electricity. A landslide has obstructed the main roads of Santa Cruz, where streets have been reduced to mud pits. Residents are now sweeping water from their houses and attempting to rescue their belongings.

Rescue efforts and damage assessments have proven extremely difficult because every one of the town’s transport and critical services such as firefighting, law enforcement, medical centers and supermarkets were “severely damaged,” notes Solomon.

The mayor is now focused on working to help the most vulnerable, while also dealing with the personal impact of the devastation.

“The mayor's car was completely submerged by water. My roof was lost, so I do understand the pain that people are feeling, but what is a priority for me now is to concentrate on securing assistance for the most at-risk at this point,” he explains.

The mayor believes that it will take billions of local currency to restore the community after the hurricane's annihilation. For now, he states, the priority is removing debris from blocked routes, which have cut off the town.

“We are now trying to clear the main roads and critical lateral roads here so that we can get relief supplies in. The majority of our stores, if not all, were impacted negatively so they won’t be able to provide supplies to persons who are in need at this time,” he adds.

The prime minister has witnessed the devastation first-hand, with an flyover of the region showing the vast majority of roofs in the area had been lost.

“It is going to be a enormous task to restore this historic town. But although it is destroyed, we can vision a future of it emerging more resilient and improved,” he told reporters.

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