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The mayor of the town of Black River – an area described as “ground zero” for Hurricane Melissa – has detailed the monstrous storm surges and extensive destruction wrought by the disaster.

Reflecting on the traumatic experience, the mayor described riding out the intense hurricane at an emergency response center.

“The entire town of Black River is devastated,” he said. “The destruction is so catastrophic that the national leader designated this area as the worst-hit zone.”

Five individuals from Black River are confirmed dead, but Solomon noted hearing reports of additional deaths that remain unconfirmed due to communication and travel challenges.

“The hurricane came around 8 a.m. and lasted for around several hours, during which we were battered with strong gusts and a lot of rain,” he added.

“We experienced up to 16ft of water 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 upper level, and I tell you, when we saw the water climbing, it was a scary moment for us.”

Solomon explained that the town, located in the severely affected southwest region of the area, is lacking running water and electricity, and most structures have had their roofs. An authority previously characterized the town as flooded, with more than 500,000 inhabitants without power. A landslide has blocked the main roads of a nearby area, where streets have been turned to muddy tracks. Residents are now removing water from their homes and trying to salvage their possessions.

Search and rescue operations and damage assessments have proven extremely difficult because every one of the town’s vehicles and critical services such as firefighting, law enforcement, hospitals and supermarkets were “severely damaged,” says Solomon.

He is now concentrating on working to assist the neediest residents, while also dealing with the individual toll of the disaster.

“The mayor's car was totally covered by water. The roofing went, so I do understand the suffering that people are experiencing, but what is a key focus for me now is to focus on getting aid relief for the most vulnerable at this point,” he explains.

The mayor estimates that it will take billions of local currency to rebuild the community after the hurricane's destruction. At present, he states, the priority is clearing impassable roads, which have cut off the town.

“We are now trying to clear the main roads and critical lateral roads here so that we can deliver relief supplies in. The majority of our supermarkets, if not all, were severely affected so they won’t be able to offer goods to persons who are in need at this time,” he says.

National leadership has seen the devastation personally, with an flyover of the area revealing the vast majority of roofs in the area had been lost.

“This will be a enormous task to restore this historic town. But while it is destroyed, we can vision a tomorrow of it rising stronger and improved,” he informed local media.

“It will be accomplished. So maintain the positive outlook, remain hopeful, and we will get through this, and we will rebuild better,” he said.