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This mayor of the town of Black River – an area described as “the epicenter” for Hurricane Melissa – has detailed the monstrous flooding and widespread destruction wrought by the disaster.

Reflecting on the harrowing ordeal, Richard Solomon described riding out the Category 5 hurricane at an emergency operating centre.

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

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

“The hurricane came around 8 a.m. and continued for around nine hours, during which we were battered with strong gusts and torrential rainfall,” he explained.

“We experienced up to 16ft of water at the emergency operating centre. That was a frightening moment for us, and we were hoping that it would not rise any more, because we were on the upper level, and I tell you, when we saw the water climbing, it was a terrifying moment for us.”

Solomon explained that Black River, situated in the severely affected southwest region of St Elizabeth, is without running water and electricity, and the majority of buildings have had their roofs. An authority previously characterized the town as flooded, with more than 500,000 inhabitants lacking electricity. A mudslide has blocked the primary routes of a nearby area, where streets have been reduced to muddy tracks. Residents are now sweeping water from their houses and attempting to salvage their possessions.

Rescue efforts and evaluations have proven extremely difficult because every one of the town’s vehicles and critical services such as firefighting, police, medical centers and supermarkets were “immensely damaged,” notes the mayor.

The mayor is now concentrating on working to help the most vulnerable, while also coping with the personal impact of the devastation.

“My vehicle was totally submerged 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 vulnerable at this time,” he explains.

Solomon believes that it will take millions of Jamaican dollars to restore the community after the hurricane's annihilation. At present, 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 deliver relief supplies in. Most of our supermarkets, if not all, were impacted negatively so they won’t be able to provide supplies to persons who are in dire straits at this time,” he says.

National leadership has seen the devastation first-hand, with an flyover of the area showing 80 to 90% of roofs in the area had been lost.

“This will be a massive undertaking to rebuild Black River. But although it is damaged, we can envision a tomorrow of it emerging stronger and improved,” he told reporters.

“We will get it done. So keep the positive outlook, keep hope alive, and we will get through this, and we will rebuild better,” he said.