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This mayor of the town of Black River – a community described as “the epicenter” for Hurricane Melissa – has shared the monstrous storm surges and extensive destruction wrought by the disaster.

Reflecting on the harrowing experience, Richard Solomon described enduring the intense hurricane at an emergency response center.

“The entire town of this area is in ruins,” he said. “The destruction is so catastrophic that the prime minister designated this area as the worst-hit zone.”

Several people from the town are reported to have died, but Solomon mentioned hearing reports of other fatalities that remain unconfirmed due to connectivity and travel difficulties.

“The hurricane arrived around eight in the morning and continued for around several hours, during which we were battered with heavy winds and a lot of rain,” he added.

“We experienced 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 further, because we were on the upper level, and I tell you, when we saw the water climbing, it was a scary experience for us.”

The mayor explained that Black River, located in the hard-hit south-western parish of the area, is without water and power, and most structures have had their roofing. One official previously described the town as flooded, with more than 500,000 inhabitants without power. A mudslide has obstructed the primary routes of Santa Cruz, where streets have been turned to muddy tracks. Locals are now removing water from their homes and trying to salvage their possessions.

Rescue efforts and evaluations have proven extremely difficult because all the town’s transport and essential facilities such as firefighting, police, hospitals and supermarkets were “immensely damaged,” notes the mayor.

He is now concentrating on trying to help the neediest residents, while also dealing with the personal impact of the disaster.

“My vehicle was totally submerged by water. The roofing went, so I fully grasp the pain that persons are feeling, but what is a key focus for me now is to concentrate on getting assistance for the most at-risk at this point,” he explains.

Solomon believes that it will take millions of local currency to rebuild Black River after Melissa’s destruction. For now, he states, the priority is removing debris from blocked routes, which have cut off the town.

“Efforts are underway to get the main roads and secondary routes here so that we can get aid in. Most of our supermarkets, if not all, were impacted negatively so they won’t be able to offer goods to individuals who are in dire straits at this time,” he adds.

National leadership has witnessed the damage first-hand, with an flyover of the area showing the vast majority of roofs in the area had been destroyed.

“It is going to be a enormous undertaking to restore this historic town. But although it is destroyed, we can envision a tomorrow of it rising more resilient and improved,” he informed reporters.

“It will be accomplished. So keep the positive outlook, keep hope alive, and we will overcome this challenge, and we will rebuild better,” he said.