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The mayor of the town of Black River – an area described as “the epicenter” for the devastating storm – has shared the monstrous flooding and extensive destruction wrought by the catastrophe.

Speaking on the harrowing experience, the mayor described riding out the Category 5 storm at an emergency operating centre.

“Our community of this area is in ruins,” he said. “The destruction is so severe that the national leader designated this area as the worst-hit zone.”

Several people from Black River are reported dead, but Solomon mentioned receiving word of additional fatalities that remain unconfirmed due to communication and transportation difficulties.

“Storm Melissa came around 8 a.m. and continued for around several hours, during which we were battered with heavy winds and torrential rainfall,” he added.

“We got up to 4.8 metres of flooding at the emergency operating centre. That was a frightening moment for us, and we were praying that it would not increase any more, because we were on the second floor, and frankly, when we saw the water climbing, it was a scary moment for us.”

The mayor explained that Black River, located in the hard-hit southwest region of the area, is without running water and electricity, and most buildings have had their roofing. An authority previously described the town as under water, with more than half a million residents without power. A mudslide has blocked the primary routes of a nearby area, where roadways have been turned to mud pits. Residents are now removing water from their houses and attempting to rescue their belongings.

Search and rescue operations and evaluations have proven extremely difficult because every one of the town’s transport and essential facilities such as firefighting, police, medical centers and supermarkets were “immensely damaged,” says Solomon.

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

“The mayor's car was totally covered 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 assistance for the most at-risk at this point,” he explains.

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

“We are now trying to clear the major thoroughfares and critical lateral roads here so that we can get relief supplies in. Most of our supermarkets, if not all, were severely affected so they won’t be able to provide supplies to persons who are in dire straits at this moment,” he says.

National leadership has seen the damage first-hand, with an flyover of the area showing the vast majority of buildings in the area had been lost.

“This will be a massive undertaking to rebuild Black River. But while it is destroyed, we can vision a tomorrow of it rising more resilient and improved,” he informed reporters.

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