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This local leader of Black River – an area described as “the epicenter” for Hurricane Melissa – has shared the monstrous flooding and widespread devastation wrought by the disaster.

Reflecting on the harrowing experience, the mayor recalled enduring the Category 5 storm at an emergency response center.

“Our community of this area is devastated,” he said. “The destruction is so severe that the prime minister classified this area as ground zero.”

Several people from the town are reported to have died, but Solomon mentioned receiving word of other fatalities that are still being verified due to connectivity and transportation difficulties.

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

“We experienced up to 16ft of water at the emergency operating centre. It was a frightening moment for us, and we were praying that it would not rise any further, because we were on the upper level, and I tell you, when we saw the water climbing, it was a scary moment for us.”

The mayor stated that the town, located in the severely affected south-western parish of the area, is without running water and electricity, and the majority of buildings have had their roofing. An authority previously characterized the town as flooded, with over half a million residents lacking electricity. A mudslide has blocked the main roads of a nearby area, where roadways have been turned to mud pits. Residents are now sweeping water from their houses and attempting to salvage their belongings.

Rescue efforts and evaluations have proven extremely difficult because every one of the town’s transport and essential facilities such as firefighting, law enforcement, hospitals and grocery stores were “severely damaged,” notes Solomon.

He is now focused on working to help the most vulnerable, while also dealing with the personal impact of the disaster.

“The mayor's car was totally covered by water. My roof was lost, so I do understand the suffering that people are feeling, but what is a priority for me now is to concentrate on getting assistance for the most at-risk at this time,” he says.

The mayor believes that it will take millions of local currency to restore Black River after Melissa’s annihilation. For now, he states, the main goal is removing debris from blocked routes, which have cut off the town.

“Efforts are underway to clear the main roads and critical lateral roads here so that we can deliver relief supplies in. Most of our stores, if not all, were severely affected so they won’t be able to offer goods to individuals who are in dire straits at this moment,” he says.

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

“It is going to be a enormous undertaking to restore Black River. But while it is destroyed, we can vision a tomorrow of it rising more resilient and better,” he told reporters.

“We will get it done. So keep the optimism, remain hopeful, and we will overcome this challenge, and we will rebuild better,” he affirmed.