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This mayor of the town of Black River – a community described as “the epicenter” for Hurricane Melissa – has detailed the monstrous flooding and extensive destruction caused by the disaster.

Speaking on the harrowing experience, Richard Solomon described riding out the Category 5 storm at an emergency response center.

“The entire town of Black River is in ruins,” he said. “The destruction is so catastrophic that the national leader designated this area as the worst-hit zone.”

Several people from Black River are confirmed to have died, but the mayor noted receiving word of additional fatalities that are still being verified due to connectivity and travel challenges.

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

“We got up to 4.8 metres of flooding at the response center. It was a frightening moment 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 rising, it was a terrifying experience for us.”

Solomon explained that Black River, located in the hard-hit south-western region of St Elizabeth, is without water and electricity, and the majority of structures have had their roofing. An authority earlier described the town as under water, with over half a million residents lacking electricity. A mudslide has obstructed the main roads of a nearby area, where streets have been reduced to mud pits. Locals are now sweeping water from their homes and trying to rescue their possessions.

Search and rescue operations and damage assessments have become almost impossible because all the town’s vehicles and essential facilities such as firefighting, law enforcement, hospitals and grocery stores were “severely damaged,” notes the mayor.

The mayor is now focused on working to help the neediest residents, while also dealing with the personal impact of the devastation.

“My vehicle was completely submerged by water. The roofing was lost, so I fully grasp the pain that people are experiencing, but what is a key focus for me now is to focus on getting aid relief for the most vulnerable at this time,” he says.

The mayor estimates that it will take billions of Jamaican dollars to rebuild the community after Melissa’s annihilation. At present, he states, the main goal is removing debris from impassable roads, which have cut off the town.

“Efforts are underway to get the major thoroughfares and secondary routes here so that we can get aid in. The majority of our stores, if not all, were impacted negatively so they won’t be able to provide supplies to persons who are in dire straits at this moment,” he adds.

The prime minister has witnessed the damage first-hand, with an aerial tour of the region revealing 80 to 90% 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 envision a tomorrow of it rising stronger and improved,” he told reporters.

“It will be accomplished. So keep the positive outlook, remain hopeful, and we will get through this, and we will rebuild better,” he said.