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This local leader of Black River – a community described as “the epicenter” for Hurricane Melissa – has shared the immense storm surges and widespread devastation caused by the catastrophe.

Speaking on the traumatic ordeal, Richard Solomon described riding out the intense storm at an emergency response center.

“Our community of Black River is in ruins,” he stated. “The destruction is so catastrophic that the national leader designated this area as the worst-hit zone.”

Several people from Black River are confirmed to have died, but Solomon noted receiving word of additional fatalities that are still being verified due to connectivity and travel difficulties.

“Storm Melissa came around eight in the morning and continued for around several hours, during which we were pounded with strong gusts and a lot of rain,” 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 praying that it would not increase any further, because we were on the upper level, and frankly, when we saw the water climbing, it was a scary moment for us.”

Solomon stated that the town, located in the hard-hit south-western region of St Elizabeth, is lacking running water and power, and the majority of structures have had their roofs. One official previously described the town as under water, with over 500,000 residents lacking electricity. A landslide has obstructed the main roads of Santa Cruz, where roadways have been reduced to muddy tracks. Residents are now removing water from their houses and attempting to rescue their possessions.

Rescue efforts and damage assessments have proven almost impossible because all the town’s vehicles and essential facilities such as firefighting, law enforcement, hospitals and grocery stores were “severely damaged,” says Solomon.

He is now concentrating on trying to assist the most vulnerable, while also dealing with the individual toll of the disaster.

“The mayor's car was totally covered by water. The roofing went, so I fully grasp the pain that people are experiencing, but what is a key focus for me now is to concentrate on getting assistance for the most vulnerable at this point,” he says.

The mayor believes that it will take billions of local currency to rebuild the community after Melissa’s annihilation. For now, he states, the priority 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 aid 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 need at this moment,” he says.

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

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

“It will be accomplished. So keep the optimism, keep hope alive, and we will get through this, and we will reconstruct stronger,” he said.