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The mayor of Black River – a community described as “ground zero” for Hurricane Melissa – has detailed the monstrous storm surges and widespread destruction caused by the disaster.

Speaking on the harrowing experience, the mayor recalled enduring the intense storm at an emergency response center.

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

Several people from Black River are reported dead, but Solomon mentioned receiving word of additional deaths that remain unconfirmed due to communication and transportation difficulties.

“The hurricane came around eight in the morning and lasted for around nine hours, during which we were pounded with heavy winds and a lot of rain,” he added.

“We got 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 rise any more, because we were on the second floor, and I tell you, when we saw the water rising, it was a scary experience for us.”

Solomon stated that Black River, located in the hard-hit south-western region of St Elizabeth, is without water and power, and the majority of buildings have lost their roofing. An authority previously described the town as under water, with over 500,000 inhabitants lacking electricity. A mudslide has blocked the main roads of Santa Cruz, where streets have been reduced to muddy tracks. Locals are now removing water from their homes and attempting to salvage their belongings.

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, police, hospitals and supermarkets were “severely damaged,” says Solomon.

The mayor is now concentrating on working to help the neediest residents, while also coping with the individual toll of the devastation.

“My vehicle was totally submerged 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 focus on getting assistance for the most vulnerable at this point,” he says.

The mayor estimates that it will take millions of local currency to restore the community after the hurricane's destruction. For now, he says, the main goal is clearing 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 get relief supplies in. The majority of our supermarkets, if not all, were severely affected so they will be unable to offer goods to persons who are in need at this moment,” he says.

National leadership has seen the damage personally, with an aerial tour of the region revealing the vast majority of roofs in the area had been lost.

“This will be a enormous undertaking to restore Black River. But although it is destroyed, we can vision a future of it rising stronger and improved,” he told local media.

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