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This local leader of the town of Black River – a community referred to as “ground zero” for Hurricane Melissa – has shared the monstrous flooding and extensive devastation wrought by the catastrophe.

Reflecting on the traumatic ordeal, Richard Solomon recalled enduring the Category 5 storm at an emergency response center.

“The entire town of this area is devastated,” he stated. “The destruction is so severe that the prime minister classified this area as ground zero.”

Several people from the town are reported dead, but the mayor noted hearing reports of other deaths that remain unconfirmed due to connectivity and travel challenges.

“The hurricane arrived around 8 a.m. and continued for around nine hours, during which we were battered with heavy winds and a lot of rain,” he explained.

“We got up to 4.8 metres of water at the emergency operating centre. It was a bit scary for us, and we were praying that it would not increase any further, because we were on the second floor, and I tell you, when we saw the water climbing, it was a terrifying moment for us.”

Solomon stated that Black River, located in the hard-hit south-western region of the area, is lacking running water and power, and the majority of structures have lost their roofing. One official earlier characterized the town as flooded, with over half a million inhabitants without power. A landslide has obstructed the primary routes of a nearby area, where roadways have been turned to muddy tracks. Residents are now sweeping water from their homes and attempting to salvage their belongings.

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

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

“The mayor's car was completely covered by water. The roofing was lost, so I do understand the suffering that persons are feeling, but what is a key focus for me now is to concentrate on getting assistance for the most vulnerable at this time,” he says.

The mayor believes that it will take billions of Jamaican dollars to rebuild the community after Melissa’s annihilation. For now, he states, the priority is clearing blocked routes, which have cut off the town.

“Efforts are underway to get the main roads and secondary routes here so that we can deliver relief supplies in. The majority of our supermarkets, 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 says.

National leadership has seen the damage personally, with an aerial tour of the region revealing 80 to 90% of buildings in the area had been lost.

“This will be a massive undertaking to restore this historic town. But while it is destroyed, we can vision a future of it rising stronger and improved,” he told reporters.

“It will be accomplished. So maintain the positive outlook, remain hopeful, and we will overcome this challenge, and we will reconstruct stronger,” he affirmed.