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This mayor of the town of Black River – an area described as “ground zero” for the devastating storm – has shared the immense flooding and widespread destruction wrought by the catastrophe.

Reflecting on the harrowing ordeal, Richard Solomon described enduring the intense hurricane at an emergency operating centre.

“The entire town of this area is in ruins,” he stated. “The destruction is so catastrophic that the prime minister designated this area as ground zero.”

Five individuals from Black River are reported dead, but the mayor noted receiving word of additional fatalities that are still being verified due to communication and travel challenges.

“Storm Melissa came around 8 a.m. and continued for around nine hours, during which we were pounded with strong gusts and a lot of rain,” he added.

“We experienced up to 16ft of flooding at the emergency operating centre. It 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 rising, it was a terrifying moment for us.”

The mayor stated that the town, situated in the hard-hit south-western region of the area, is lacking water and power, and the majority of buildings have lost their roofing. An authority earlier described the town as under water, with more than 500,000 residents lacking electricity. A landslide has blocked the primary routes of a nearby area, where roadways have been reduced to muddy tracks. Residents are now sweeping water from their homes and attempting to salvage their possessions.

Search and rescue operations and evaluations have proven almost impossible because every one of the town’s transport and essential facilities such as firefighting, police, medical centers and supermarkets were “severely damaged,” notes the mayor.

He is now concentrating on working to help the neediest residents, while also coping with the personal impact of the devastation.

“The mayor's car was totally submerged by water. My roof was lost, so I do understand the pain that persons 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 believes that it will take millions of local currency to rebuild the community after the hurricane's annihilation. For now, he says, the main goal is removing debris from blocked routes, which have cut off the town.

“We are now trying to get the main roads and secondary routes 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 individuals who are in need at this moment,” he says.

The prime minister has seen the damage first-hand, with an aerial tour of the area revealing 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 vision a future of it rising more resilient and better,” he informed reporters.

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