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The local leader 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.

Reflecting on the harrowing ordeal, the mayor recalled enduring the intense storm at an emergency operating centre.

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

Five individuals from the town are confirmed to have died, but the mayor mentioned hearing reports of additional fatalities that remain unconfirmed due to connectivity and travel difficulties.

“Storm Melissa arrived around 8 a.m. and lasted for around several hours, during which we were battered with heavy winds and a lot of rain,” he added.

“We got up to 4.8 metres of flooding at the response center. It 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 I tell you, when we saw the water rising, it was a terrifying experience for us.”

Solomon explained that Black River, situated in the hard-hit south-western region of the area, is lacking running water and electricity, and most buildings have had their roofs. An authority previously described the town as flooded, with more than half a million inhabitants without power. A landslide has blocked the primary routes of a nearby area, where roadways have been turned to mud pits. Locals are now removing water from their houses and trying to salvage their belongings.

Search and rescue operations and damage assessments have become almost impossible because every one of the town’s transport and critical services such as fire, police, hospitals and supermarkets were “immensely damaged,” notes Solomon.

The mayor is now focused on trying to assist the most vulnerable, while also coping with the personal impact of the devastation.

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

Solomon believes that it will take billions of local currency to rebuild Black River after the hurricane's destruction. For now, he says, the main goal is clearing blocked routes, which have isolated the town.

“We are now trying to clear the main roads and secondary routes here so that we can deliver aid in. The majority 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 witnessed the devastation first-hand, with an flyover of the region showing the vast majority of roofs in the area had been lost.

“This will be a massive task to rebuild Black River. But while it is destroyed, we can vision a future of it rising stronger and improved,” he told reporters.

“It will be accomplished. So keep the positive outlook, remain hopeful, and we will get through this, and we will reconstruct stronger,” he affirmed.