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This local leader of the town of Black River – a community referred to as “the epicenter” for Hurricane Melissa – has shared the monstrous flooding and widespread devastation wrought by the catastrophe.

Speaking on the harrowing ordeal, Richard Solomon described enduring the Category 5 hurricane at an emergency response center.

“The entire town of Black River is devastated,” he said. “The destruction is so severe that the national leader designated this area as ground zero.”

Five individuals from Black River are reported to have died, but Solomon noted receiving word of additional fatalities that are still being verified due to connectivity and travel difficulties.

“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 explained.

“We got up to 16ft of flooding at the emergency operating centre. It was a bit scary for us, and we were praying that it would not rise any more, because we were on the upper level, and frankly, when we saw the water rising, it was a scary moment for us.”

The mayor stated that the town, situated in the hard-hit southwest region of St Elizabeth, is lacking running water and electricity, and the majority of buildings have lost their roofing. One official earlier described the town as flooded, with more than half a million inhabitants without power. A mudslide has blocked the primary routes of a nearby area, where roadways have been turned to mud pits. Residents are now sweeping water from their homes and trying to salvage their belongings.

Rescue efforts and evaluations have become almost impossible because every one of the town’s transport and critical services such as firefighting, law enforcement, hospitals and supermarkets were “immensely damaged,” says the mayor.

The mayor is now concentrating on working to assist the neediest residents, while also coping with the individual toll of the disaster.

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

Solomon believes that it will take billions of local currency to restore the community after the hurricane's destruction. For now, he states, the priority is clearing blocked routes, which have isolated the town.

“We are now trying to clear the main roads and critical lateral roads here so that we can get aid in. The majority of our supermarkets, if not all, were severely affected so they won’t be able to provide supplies to individuals who are in dire straits at this time,” he says.

The prime minister has seen the devastation first-hand, with an aerial tour of the area showing the vast majority of roofs in the area had been lost.

“It is going to be a massive task to rebuild Black River. But although 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 optimism, remain hopeful, and we will overcome this challenge, and we will reconstruct stronger,” he affirmed.