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The mayor of the town of Black River – an area referred to as “the epicenter” for Hurricane Melissa – has detailed the immense flooding and widespread devastation wrought by the disaster.

Speaking on the harrowing experience, the mayor recalled riding out the Category 5 storm at an emergency response center.

“The entire town of this area is devastated,” he stated. “And that devastation is so catastrophic that the prime minister designated this area as ground zero.”

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

“Storm Melissa arrived around eight in the morning and continued for around several hours, during which we were pounded with strong gusts and a lot of rain,” he added.

“We got up to 16ft of water at the response center. That was a bit scary for us, and we were praying that it would not rise any more, because we were on the second floor, and frankly, when we saw the water climbing, it was a scary moment for us.”

The mayor stated that Black River, situated in the hard-hit southwest region of the area, is lacking running water and electricity, and the majority of structures have had their roofs. One official previously characterized the town as flooded, with more than half a million inhabitants without power. A landslide has blocked the primary routes of Santa Cruz, where roadways have been reduced to mud pits. Residents are now sweeping water from their houses and trying to rescue their possessions.

Rescue efforts and evaluations have become extremely difficult because all the town’s vehicles and essential facilities such as fire, law enforcement, hospitals and supermarkets were “severely damaged,” says the mayor.

The mayor is now focused on trying to assist the neediest residents, while also coping with the individual toll of the disaster.

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

Solomon believes that it will take millions of Jamaican dollars to rebuild the community after the hurricane's destruction. At present, he says, the main goal is clearing impassable roads, which have isolated the town.

“We are now trying to clear the major thoroughfares 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 individuals who are in need at this time,” he says.

National leadership has witnessed the devastation first-hand, with an aerial tour of the region showing 80 to 90% of roofs in the area had been destroyed.

“It is going to be a enormous task to restore this historic town. But although it is damaged, we can vision a tomorrow of it rising more resilient and improved,” he told local media.

“It will be accomplished. So keep the positive outlook, remain hopeful, and we will get through this, and we will reconstruct stronger,” he affirmed.