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This mayor of the town of Black River – a community described as “the epicenter” for Hurricane Melissa – has detailed the immense flooding and widespread destruction wrought by the catastrophe.

Speaking on the traumatic experience, Richard Solomon described enduring the Category 5 hurricane at an emergency operating centre.

“Our community of this area is in ruins,” he stated. “The destruction is so catastrophic that the prime minister classified this area as the worst-hit zone.”

Five individuals from the town are confirmed to have died, but Solomon mentioned hearing reports of additional deaths that are still being verified due to connectivity and travel challenges.

“The hurricane arrived around eight in the morning and continued for around several hours, during which we were battered with heavy winds 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 rise any further, because we were on the second floor, and I tell you, when we saw the water climbing, it was a scary moment for us.”

The mayor stated that Black River, located in the hard-hit south-western parish of St Elizabeth, is without running water and power, and the majority of buildings have had their roofing. One official previously described the town as flooded, with more than 500,000 residents without power. A landslide has obstructed the main roads of a nearby area, where roadways have been reduced to muddy tracks. Locals are now removing water from their homes and trying to rescue their possessions.

Rescue efforts and damage assessments have become almost impossible because every one of the town’s transport and critical services such as fire, law enforcement, hospitals and supermarkets were “severely damaged,” says Solomon.

He is now concentrating on working to help the most vulnerable, while also dealing with the personal impact of the disaster.

“The mayor's car was totally submerged by water. The roofing was lost, so I fully grasp the pain that persons are feeling, but what is a priority for me now is to concentrate on getting aid relief for the most at-risk at this point,” he explains.

Solomon estimates that it will take millions of Jamaican dollars to rebuild the community after the hurricane's annihilation. For now, he says, the main goal is clearing impassable roads, which have cut off the town.

“Efforts are underway to get the main roads and critical lateral roads here so that we can deliver relief supplies in. Most of our supermarkets, if not all, were severely affected so they will be unable to provide supplies to individuals who are in dire straits at this time,” he says.

The prime minister has seen the devastation personally, with an aerial tour of the region revealing 80 to 90% of buildings in the area had been destroyed.

“It is going to be a massive undertaking to restore Black River. But while it is damaged, we can envision a future of it rising more resilient and improved,” he told reporters.

“It will be accomplished. So keep the positive outlook, remain hopeful, and we will overcome this challenge, and we will rebuild better,” he affirmed.