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The local leader of the town of Black River – a community referred to as “ground zero” for Hurricane Melissa – has shared the immense storm surges and extensive devastation caused by the disaster.

Speaking on the harrowing experience, the mayor described enduring the intense storm at an emergency response center.

“The entire town of Black River is devastated,” he stated. “And that devastation is so catastrophic that the prime minister designated this area as the worst-hit zone.”

Several people from Black River are confirmed to have died, but the mayor mentioned receiving word of other deaths that are still being verified due to communication and travel challenges.

“The hurricane came around 8 a.m. and lasted for around nine hours, during which we were pounded with strong gusts and a lot of rain,” he added.

“We got up to 4.8 metres of water at the response center. That was a frightening moment for us, and we were hoping that it would not rise any further, because we were on the second floor, and frankly, when we saw the water rising, it was a terrifying experience for us.”

The mayor explained that Black River, situated in the hard-hit southwest region of the area, is without water and power, and the majority of buildings have had their roofing. An authority earlier characterized the town as flooded, with over 500,000 inhabitants lacking electricity. A landslide has obstructed the main roads of Santa Cruz, where streets have been turned to muddy tracks. Residents are now removing water from their houses and trying to rescue their belongings.

Search and rescue operations and damage assessments have proven extremely difficult because all the town’s transport and essential facilities such as firefighting, police, hospitals and supermarkets were “severely damaged,” notes Solomon.

He is now focused on working to help the most vulnerable, while also coping with the personal impact of the devastation.

“My vehicle was completely covered by water. The roofing went, so I do understand the pain that persons are experiencing, but what is a priority for me now is to concentrate on securing assistance for the most at-risk at this point,” he says.

The mayor believes that it will take millions of local currency to rebuild Black River after Melissa’s annihilation. For now, he states, the priority is clearing blocked routes, which have cut off the town.

“Efforts are underway to get the major thoroughfares and secondary routes here so that we can get relief supplies in. Most of our stores, if not all, were impacted negatively so they will be unable to offer goods to individuals who are in need at this time,” he says.

National leadership has seen the damage first-hand, with an aerial tour of the area revealing 80 to 90% of roofs in the area had been lost.

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

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