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The mayor of the town of Black River – a community referred to as “the epicenter” for Hurricane Melissa – has detailed the immense flooding and widespread destruction caused by the catastrophe.

Speaking on the harrowing experience, Richard Solomon described enduring the intense hurricane at an emergency operating centre.

“The entire town of Black River is devastated,” he stated. “The destruction is so severe that the national leader classified this area as ground zero.”

Several people from Black River are confirmed to have died, but Solomon mentioned receiving word of other deaths that are still being verified due to communication and transportation difficulties.

“The hurricane came around 8 a.m. 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 flooding at the response center. That was a bit scary for us, and we were praying that it would not increase any more, 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 Black River, situated in the severely affected south-western parish of St Elizabeth, is without running water and electricity, and the majority of buildings have had their roofing. An authority previously described the town as flooded, with more than half a million residents lacking electricity. A landslide has obstructed the main roads of Santa Cruz, where roadways have been turned to muddy tracks. Residents are now sweeping water from their houses and attempting to rescue their belongings.

Search and rescue operations and damage assessments have become almost impossible because every one of the town’s vehicles and essential facilities such as firefighting, police, hospitals and grocery stores were “severely damaged,” says the mayor.

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

“The mayor's car was completely covered by water. The roofing went, so I fully grasp the suffering that persons are experiencing, but what is a key focus for me now is to focus on getting assistance for the most vulnerable at this time,” he explains.

The mayor estimates that it will take millions of Jamaican dollars to rebuild the community after the hurricane's destruction. At present, he states, the priority is removing debris from blocked routes, which have isolated the town.

“We are now trying to get the major thoroughfares and secondary routes here so that we can deliver relief supplies in. Most of our supermarkets, if not all, were severely affected so they will be unable to provide supplies to persons who are in need at this time,” he says.

The prime minister has witnessed the devastation personally, with an aerial tour of the area showing the vast majority of buildings in the area had been lost.

“This will be a enormous task to rebuild this historic town. But while it is damaged, we can envision a future of it emerging stronger and improved,” he told local media.

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