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The mayor of the town of Black River – an area referred to as “ground zero” for the devastating storm – has detailed the immense flooding and widespread devastation caused by the disaster.

Speaking on the harrowing ordeal, Richard Solomon described enduring the Category 5 storm at an emergency operating centre.

“Our community of Black River is in ruins,” he stated. “The destruction is so catastrophic that the prime minister classified this area as ground zero.”

Five individuals from the town are confirmed to have died, but the mayor mentioned receiving word of additional fatalities that remain unconfirmed due to communication and transportation difficulties.

“Storm Melissa arrived around eight in the morning and lasted for around several hours, during which we were pounded with strong gusts and a lot of rain,” he explained.

“We experienced up to 16ft of flooding at the response center. It was a bit scary for us, and we were praying that it would not rise any further, because we were on the second floor, and I tell you, when we saw the water climbing, it was a scary experience for us.”

Solomon explained that the town, situated in the severely affected south-western parish of St Elizabeth, is lacking water and electricity, and most structures have had their roofs. An authority earlier characterized the town as under water, with over 500,000 residents lacking electricity. A landslide has blocked the primary routes of a nearby area, where streets have been reduced to mud pits. Locals are now removing water from their homes and trying to rescue their possessions.

Rescue efforts and damage assessments have become almost impossible because all the town’s transport and essential facilities such as firefighting, law enforcement, medical centers and supermarkets were “immensely damaged,” notes Solomon.

He is now concentrating on trying to assist the most vulnerable, while also dealing with the individual toll of the devastation.

“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 assistance for the most vulnerable at this point,” he says.

The mayor believes that it will take billions of Jamaican dollars to restore the community after the hurricane's annihilation. At present, he says, the priority is clearing blocked routes, which have isolated the town.

“We are now trying to get the main roads and critical lateral roads here so that we can deliver aid in. The majority of our supermarkets, if not all, were impacted negatively so they will be unable to offer goods to persons who are in dire straits at this time,” he adds.

The prime minister has witnessed the damage first-hand, with an aerial tour of the region revealing the vast majority of buildings in the area had been lost.

“It is going to be a massive undertaking to rebuild this historic town. But although it is damaged, we can vision a tomorrow of it rising more resilient and improved,” he informed local media.

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