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This mayor of Black River – an area referred to as “the epicenter” for Hurricane Melissa – has shared the immense flooding and widespread destruction wrought by the disaster.

Speaking on the traumatic ordeal, the mayor described enduring the Category 5 hurricane at an emergency response center.

“Our community of Black River is devastated,” he said. “The destruction is so catastrophic that the national leader designated this area as the worst-hit zone.”

Several people from the town are reported to have died, but Solomon mentioned hearing reports of other fatalities that are still being verified due to communication and travel challenges.

“The hurricane came around 8 a.m. and continued for around nine hours, during which we were battered with strong gusts and torrential rainfall,” he explained.

“We got up to 16ft of flooding at the emergency operating centre. That was a bit scary for us, and we were hoping that it would not increase any further, because we were on the upper level, and I tell you, when we saw the water rising, it was a terrifying experience for us.”

The mayor stated that Black River, located in the severely affected south-western region of the area, is lacking running water and electricity, and most structures have lost their roofing. An authority previously characterized the town as flooded, with more than half a million inhabitants without power. A mudslide has blocked the main roads of a nearby area, where roadways have been reduced to mud pits. Residents are now sweeping water from their houses and attempting to rescue their belongings.

Search and rescue operations and damage assessments have proven extremely difficult because all the town’s vehicles and critical services such as fire, law enforcement, hospitals and grocery stores were “severely damaged,” says the mayor.

The mayor is now concentrating on working to assist the most vulnerable, while also coping with the personal impact of the disaster.

“The mayor's car was completely submerged by water. My roof was lost, so I do understand the suffering that people are experiencing, but what is a priority for me now is to focus on securing assistance for the most vulnerable at this time,” he explains.

The mayor estimates that it will take billions of local currency to restore Black River after Melissa’s destruction. At present, he states, the main goal is removing debris from impassable roads, which have isolated the town.

“We are now trying to clear the main roads and critical lateral roads here so that we can get aid in. The majority of our supermarkets, if not all, were impacted negatively so they will be unable to offer goods to individuals 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 showing the vast majority of roofs in the area had been destroyed.

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

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