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This mayor of Black River – a community referred to as “the epicenter” for the devastating storm – has shared the immense storm surges and widespread devastation wrought by the catastrophe.

Reflecting on the traumatic experience, the mayor recalled riding out the intense storm at an emergency response center.

“The entire town of Black River is devastated,” he stated. “And that devastation is so severe that the prime minister designated this area as the worst-hit zone.”

Five individuals from the town are confirmed to have died, but the mayor mentioned receiving word of other fatalities that remain unconfirmed due to communication and travel challenges.

“Storm Melissa arrived around eight in the morning and lasted for around several hours, during which we were battered with heavy winds and a lot of rain,” he explained.

“We got up to 16ft of flooding at the response center. It was a frightening moment for us, and we were hoping that it would not increase any more, because we were on the second floor, and I tell you, when we saw the water climbing, it was a terrifying experience for us.”

The mayor stated that Black River, located in the hard-hit southwest parish of the area, is without running water and electricity, and most buildings have had their roofing. An authority previously characterized the town as under water, with more than half a million inhabitants without power. A mudslide has blocked the primary routes of a nearby area, where roadways have been reduced to mud pits. Residents are now removing water from their homes and trying to rescue their belongings.

Search and rescue operations and evaluations have proven extremely difficult because every one of the town’s vehicles and essential facilities such as firefighting, law enforcement, medical centers and grocery stores were “immensely damaged,” says the mayor.

He is now concentrating on trying to help the neediest residents, while also dealing with the personal impact of the disaster.

“My vehicle was completely submerged by water. The roofing went, so I fully grasp the pain that persons are experiencing, but what is a priority for me now is to focus on getting aid relief for the most at-risk at this point,” he says.

Solomon estimates that it will take billions of Jamaican dollars to restore Black River after the hurricane's destruction. At present, he says, the main goal is removing debris from impassable roads, which have cut off the town.

“Efforts are underway 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 won’t be able to provide supplies to persons who are in dire straits at this time,” he says.

The prime minister has witnessed the devastation first-hand, with an flyover of the region showing the vast majority of buildings in the area had been destroyed.

“This will be a enormous undertaking to restore Black River. But while it is damaged, we can envision a tomorrow of it emerging stronger and better,” he informed reporters.

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