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This mayor of Black River – an area described as “ground zero” for the devastating storm – has detailed the immense flooding and extensive devastation caused by the disaster.

Speaking on the traumatic experience, Richard Solomon recalled riding out the Category 5 hurricane at an emergency operating centre.

“Our community of this area is devastated,” he said. “And that devastation is so catastrophic that the prime minister classified this area as ground zero.”

Five individuals from Black River are confirmed dead, but Solomon mentioned hearing reports of additional deaths that are still being verified due to connectivity and transportation challenges.

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

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

The mayor explained that the town, situated in the hard-hit southwest region of St Elizabeth, is without water and power, and most structures have lost their roofs. One official earlier described the town as under water, with more than half a million residents lacking electricity. A mudslide has blocked the main roads of Santa Cruz, where roadways have been reduced to mud pits. Locals are now sweeping water from their houses and trying to rescue their possessions.

Rescue efforts and damage assessments have become extremely difficult because all the town’s vehicles and critical services such as fire, police, hospitals and supermarkets were “severely damaged,” says the mayor.

The mayor is now focused on trying to assist the most vulnerable, while also coping with the personal impact of the devastation.

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

Solomon believes that it will take billions of Jamaican dollars to rebuild the community after the hurricane's annihilation. For now, he says, the main goal is clearing impassable roads, 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 offer goods to individuals who are in need at this time,” he adds.

National leadership has witnessed the devastation first-hand, with an aerial tour of the area showing the vast majority of roofs in the area had been lost.

“It is going to be a enormous undertaking to rebuild this historic town. But although it is destroyed, we can vision a future of it emerging stronger and better,” he told reporters.

“It will be accomplished. So keep the optimism, remain hopeful, and we will overcome this challenge, and we will reconstruct stronger,” he said.