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This local leader of Black River – a community described as “ground zero” for the devastating storm – has detailed the immense storm surges and widespread devastation wrought by the catastrophe.

Speaking on the traumatic experience, the mayor recalled enduring the intense hurricane at an emergency operating centre.

“Our community of Black River is in ruins,” he said. “The destruction is so catastrophic that the national leader designated this area as ground zero.”

Several people from Black River are confirmed dead, but the mayor mentioned hearing reports of other deaths that are still being verified due to communication and transportation challenges.

“Storm Melissa came around 8 a.m. and lasted for around nine hours, during which we were battered with strong gusts and torrential rainfall,” he added.

“We got up to 16ft of flooding at the response center. That was a bit scary for us, and we were hoping 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 scary experience for us.”

Solomon stated that Black River, situated in the severely affected south-western region of St Elizabeth, is without running water and power, and most buildings have lost their roofs. One official previously characterized the town as under water, with over 500,000 residents without power. A landslide has obstructed the primary routes of Santa Cruz, where streets have been reduced to mud pits. Locals are now sweeping water from their houses and attempting to salvage their belongings.

Search and rescue operations and evaluations have proven extremely difficult because all the town’s transport and essential facilities such as firefighting, police, hospitals and grocery stores were “severely damaged,” says the mayor.

The mayor is now focused on working to help the most vulnerable, while also dealing with the personal impact of the disaster.

“My vehicle was totally submerged by water. The roofing went, so I do understand the suffering that people are feeling, but what is a priority for me now is to concentrate on securing assistance for the most vulnerable at this time,” he explains.

The mayor believes that it will take millions of local currency to rebuild the community after the hurricane's destruction. For now, he says, the priority is removing debris from impassable roads, which have cut off the town.

“Efforts are underway to get the major thoroughfares and critical lateral roads 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 offer goods to individuals who are in dire straits at this time,” he adds.

The prime minister has seen the damage first-hand, with an flyover of the area revealing the vast majority of roofs in the area had been destroyed.

“This will be a massive undertaking to restore this historic town. But although it is destroyed, we can envision a future of it emerging more resilient and better,” he told reporters.

“It will be accomplished. So keep the positive outlook, keep hope alive, and we will overcome this challenge, and we will reconstruct stronger,” he said.