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The local leader of the town of Black River – a community referred to as “the epicenter” for Hurricane Melissa – has detailed the immense flooding and widespread devastation wrought by the disaster.

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

“The entire town of this area is devastated,” he stated. “And that devastation is so catastrophic that the national leader classified this area as ground zero.”

Five individuals from the town are confirmed to have died, but the mayor noted receiving word of other fatalities that are still being verified due to connectivity and transportation challenges.

“The hurricane came around eight in the morning and lasted for around nine hours, during which we were battered with strong gusts and a lot of rain,” he added.

“We got up to 4.8 metres of water at the emergency operating centre. It was a frightening moment for us, and we were hoping that it would not increase any more, because we were on the upper level, and I tell you, when we saw the water rising, it was a scary experience for us.”

Solomon stated that Black River, located in the hard-hit south-western parish of the area, is without water and power, and the majority of buildings have had their roofs. One official previously described the town as under water, with more than 500,000 inhabitants lacking electricity. A landslide has blocked the main roads of Santa Cruz, where streets have been reduced to mud pits. Locals are now removing water from their homes and attempting to salvage their possessions.

Rescue efforts and evaluations have become almost impossible because every one of the town’s transport and critical services such as firefighting, police, medical centers and supermarkets were “severely damaged,” says Solomon.

The mayor is now focused on working to help the most vulnerable, while also dealing with the individual toll of the devastation.

“My vehicle was totally covered by water. The roofing went, so I fully grasp the pain that people are feeling, but what is a key focus for me now is to focus on getting aid relief for the most vulnerable at this time,” he explains.

Solomon believes that it will take millions of local currency to rebuild Black River after Melissa’s destruction. At present, he states, the priority is removing debris from impassable roads, which have cut off the town.

“We are now trying to clear the major thoroughfares and secondary routes here so that we can get relief supplies in. The majority of our stores, 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 seen the damage personally, with an aerial tour of the region revealing the vast majority of buildings in the area had been destroyed.

“It is going to be a massive task to rebuild Black River. But while it is destroyed, we can envision a tomorrow of it rising more resilient and better,” he informed reporters.

“We will get it done. So maintain the optimism, remain hopeful, and we will overcome this challenge, and we will reconstruct stronger,” he affirmed.