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This local leader of Black River – a community described as “the epicenter” for Hurricane Melissa – has shared the immense storm surges and widespread destruction wrought by the catastrophe.

Speaking on the traumatic ordeal, Richard Solomon described riding out the intense hurricane at an emergency operating centre.

“Our community of Black River is devastated,” he said. “The destruction is so catastrophic that the prime minister designated this area as ground zero.”

Five individuals from Black River are confirmed to have died, but the mayor noted hearing reports of other fatalities that remain unconfirmed due to communication and travel difficulties.

“The hurricane arrived around 8 a.m. and lasted for around nine hours, during which we were pounded with heavy winds and torrential rainfall,” he explained.

“We experienced up to 16ft of water at the emergency operating centre. It was a frightening moment for us, and we were hoping that it would not increase any further, because we were on the upper level, and frankly, when we saw the water climbing, it was a scary experience for us.”

The mayor explained that Black River, situated in the hard-hit southwest region of St Elizabeth, is without water and power, and most buildings have had their roofs. An authority previously characterized the town as under water, with over half a million residents without power. A mudslide has blocked the primary routes of a nearby area, where streets have been reduced to muddy tracks. Residents are now sweeping water from their houses and trying to rescue their belongings.

Search and rescue operations and damage assessments have proven almost impossible because all the town’s transport and critical services such as firefighting, police, medical centers and supermarkets were “immensely damaged,” says the mayor.

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

“The mayor's car was completely submerged by water. My roof went, so I do understand the suffering that people are feeling, but what is a key focus for me now is to focus on getting aid relief for the most at-risk at this time,” he explains.

The mayor estimates that it will take billions of local currency to rebuild the community after the hurricane's destruction. For now, he says, the main goal is removing debris from impassable roads, which have isolated the town.

“We are now trying to get the main roads and critical lateral roads here so that we can deliver relief supplies in. The majority of our supermarkets, if not all, were severely affected so they won’t be able to offer goods to persons who are in need at this time,” he says.

The prime minister has witnessed the devastation first-hand, with an aerial tour of the area revealing 80 to 90% of buildings in the area had been destroyed.

“This will be a massive task to rebuild Black River. But although it is damaged, we can envision a tomorrow of it emerging more resilient and improved,” he told local media.

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