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This local leader of the town of Black River – an area referred to as “ground zero” for Hurricane Melissa – has shared the immense flooding and widespread devastation caused by the disaster.

Speaking on the traumatic ordeal, the mayor recalled enduring the intense storm at an emergency operating centre.

“The entire town of Black River is devastated,” he said. “And that devastation is so severe that the national leader designated this area as ground zero.”

Several people from Black River are confirmed dead, but Solomon noted receiving word of other fatalities that remain unconfirmed due to communication and transportation challenges.

“The hurricane arrived around 8 a.m. and continued for around several hours, during which we were pounded with strong gusts and torrential rainfall,” he added.

“We got up to 4.8 metres of water at the emergency operating centre. That was a bit scary for us, and we were hoping that it would not increase any further, because we were on the second floor, and frankly, when we saw the water rising, it was a scary experience for us.”

Solomon stated that the town, located in the hard-hit south-western region of the area, is without water and power, and most structures have had their roofs. An authority earlier described the town as flooded, with more than 500,000 inhabitants lacking electricity. A landslide has blocked the primary routes of Santa Cruz, where roadways have been turned to muddy tracks. Locals are now removing water from their houses and trying to salvage their belongings.

Search and rescue operations and damage assessments have proven almost impossible because all the town’s vehicles and critical services such as fire, law enforcement, medical centers and grocery stores were “severely damaged,” says the mayor.

The mayor is now focused on trying to help the neediest residents, while also coping with the personal impact of the disaster.

“The mayor's car was totally submerged by water. My roof was lost, so I fully grasp the pain that persons are feeling, but what is a key focus for me now is to focus on getting assistance 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 annihilation. For now, he says, the main goal is clearing blocked routes, which have isolated the town.

“We are now trying to get the main roads and secondary routes here so that we can get aid in. Most 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 adds.

National leadership has seen the devastation personally, with an aerial tour of the area showing the vast majority of buildings in the area had been destroyed.

“It is going to be a massive undertaking to rebuild Black River. But although it is damaged, we can vision a future of it emerging stronger and better,” he informed reporters.

“We will get it done. So keep the positive outlook, remain hopeful, and we will overcome this challenge, and we will reconstruct stronger,” he said.