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This local leader of Black River – a community described as “the epicenter” for Hurricane Melissa – has shared the monstrous storm surges and extensive devastation wrought by the disaster.

Reflecting on the harrowing experience, the mayor recalled riding out the Category 5 storm at an emergency operating centre.

“The entire town of this area is devastated,” he stated. “The destruction is so catastrophic that the prime minister designated this area as the worst-hit zone.”

Five individuals from Black River are reported to have died, but the mayor mentioned receiving word of additional fatalities that are still being verified due to connectivity and transportation difficulties.

“The hurricane arrived 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 experienced 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 rise any further, because we were on the upper level, and I tell you, when we saw the water climbing, it was a scary experience for us.”

Solomon explained that the town, situated in the hard-hit south-western region of St Elizabeth, is lacking water and electricity, and the majority of buildings have had their roofs. An authority earlier characterized the town as under water, with more than 500,000 inhabitants lacking electricity. A landslide has blocked the main roads of a nearby area, where streets have been turned to mud pits. Residents are now sweeping water from their homes and trying to rescue their belongings.

Rescue efforts and evaluations have proven extremely difficult because all the town’s vehicles and essential facilities such as fire, law enforcement, medical centers and grocery stores were “severely damaged,” says Solomon.

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

“My vehicle was totally submerged by water. The roofing was lost, so I fully grasp the pain that people are feeling, but what is a priority for me now is to focus on securing assistance for the most at-risk at this point,” he explains.

Solomon estimates that it will take millions of local currency to rebuild the community after the hurricane's destruction. For now, he states, the main goal is clearing blocked routes, which have cut off the town.

“Efforts are underway to clear the major thoroughfares and critical lateral roads here so that we can get relief supplies in. Most of our supermarkets, if not all, were severely affected so they will be unable 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 flyover of the region revealing 80 to 90% of roofs in the area had been lost.

“This will be a enormous task to rebuild Black River. But although it is destroyed, we can vision a future of it emerging stronger and improved,” he told reporters.

“We will get it done. So keep the optimism, keep hope alive, and we will get through this, and we will reconstruct stronger,” he affirmed.