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This mayor of the town of Black River – a community referred to as “ground zero” for Hurricane Melissa – has shared the immense storm surges and widespread destruction wrought by the disaster.

Reflecting on the traumatic ordeal, Richard Solomon described enduring the intense storm at an emergency response center.

“The entire town of this area is devastated,” he said. “And that devastation is so catastrophic that the national leader designated this area as ground zero.”

Five individuals from the town are reported to have died, but the mayor noted receiving word of additional fatalities that are still being verified due to communication and travel difficulties.

“The hurricane came around eight in the morning and lasted for around nine hours, during which we were battered with heavy winds and a lot of rain,” he explained.

“We experienced up to 16ft of water at the response center. That was a frightening moment for us, and we were praying that it would not increase any further, because we were on the upper level, and I tell you, when we saw the water climbing, it was a terrifying experience for us.”

Solomon explained that the town, located in the severely affected south-western parish of St Elizabeth, is without running water and power, and most structures have lost their roofing. An authority previously characterized the town as under water, with more than 500,000 residents lacking electricity. A landslide has obstructed the main roads of Santa Cruz, where roadways have been reduced to mud pits. Residents are now removing water from their houses and trying to salvage their belongings.

Search and rescue operations and damage assessments have proven almost impossible because every one of the town’s transport and critical services such as fire, law enforcement, hospitals and supermarkets were “immensely damaged,” says the mayor.

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

“The mayor's car was totally submerged by water. The roofing went, so I do understand the suffering that persons are feeling, but what is a priority for me now is to focus on securing aid relief for the most vulnerable at this point,” he says.

The mayor believes that it will take billions of Jamaican dollars to rebuild the community after Melissa’s annihilation. At present, he says, the priority is clearing impassable roads, which have isolated the town.

“We are now trying to clear the main roads and secondary routes here so that we can deliver 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 dire straits at this moment,” he says.

The prime minister has witnessed the devastation personally, with an flyover of the region revealing the vast majority of buildings in the area had been lost.

“This will be a enormous undertaking to restore this historic town. But although it is damaged, we can vision a tomorrow of it rising stronger and better,” he informed local media.

“We will get it done. So keep the positive outlook, remain hopeful, and we will get through this, and we will rebuild better,” he affirmed.