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This mayor of Black River – a community described as “ground zero” for the devastating storm – has shared the monstrous storm surges and extensive devastation wrought by the disaster.

Speaking on the harrowing experience, Richard Solomon described riding out the Category 5 storm at an emergency response center.

“Our community of this area is in ruins,” he stated. “The destruction is so catastrophic that the national leader designated this area as ground zero.”

Five individuals from Black River are confirmed dead, but Solomon noted receiving word of other fatalities that are still being verified due to connectivity and transportation difficulties.

“The hurricane came around eight in the morning and lasted for around several hours, during which we were pounded with strong gusts and torrential rainfall,” he added.

“We got up to 16ft of water at the emergency operating centre. It 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 climbing, it was a scary moment for us.”

The mayor stated that the town, situated in the severely affected southwest parish of the area, is lacking water and electricity, and most structures have had their roofing. One official previously described the town as flooded, with more than 500,000 residents without power. A mudslide has blocked the primary routes of a nearby area, where roadways have been reduced 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 supermarkets were “immensely damaged,” notes the mayor.

The mayor is now focused on working 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 do understand the suffering that people are feeling, but what is a priority for me now is to concentrate on getting aid relief for the most vulnerable at this time,” he explains.

The mayor believes that it will take millions of local currency to restore the community after Melissa’s destruction. For now, he says, the main goal is clearing impassable roads, which have isolated the town.

“Efforts are underway to get the main roads and critical lateral roads here so that we can get aid in. The majority 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.

National leadership has witnessed the damage personally, with an flyover of the area revealing 80 to 90% of roofs in the area had been lost.

“It is going to be a massive undertaking to rebuild this historic town. But although it is destroyed, we can envision a tomorrow of it rising more resilient and better,” he told local media.

“It will be accomplished. So maintain the positive outlook, keep hope alive, and we will overcome this challenge, and we will reconstruct stronger,” he said.