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The mayor of Black River – an area referred to as “ground zero” for Hurricane Melissa – has detailed the immense flooding and widespread destruction wrought by the catastrophe.

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

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

Several people from the town are reported dead, but the mayor mentioned hearing reports of additional deaths that remain unconfirmed due to communication and transportation challenges.

“The hurricane arrived around 8 a.m. and continued for around several hours, during which we were battered with heavy winds and torrential rainfall,” he added.

“We got up to 4.8 metres of water at the response center. It was a frightening moment for us, and we were hoping that it would not rise any further, because we were on the second floor, and I tell you, when we saw the water rising, it was a scary experience for us.”

Solomon stated that the town, situated in the severely affected southwest parish of the area, is without running water and power, and most buildings have lost their roofing. An authority previously characterized the town as under water, with more than 500,000 residents without power. A landslide has obstructed the primary routes of Santa Cruz, where roadways have been reduced to mud pits. Locals are now removing water from their houses and trying to rescue their possessions.

Search and rescue operations and evaluations have become extremely difficult because all the town’s transport and essential facilities such as fire, police, hospitals and supermarkets were “immensely damaged,” says the mayor.

He is now concentrating on working to assist the neediest residents, while also coping with the personal impact of the devastation.

“The mayor's car was totally covered by water. My roof was lost, so I fully grasp the pain that persons are experiencing, but what is a priority for me now is to focus on securing aid relief for the most vulnerable at this point,” he says.

The mayor estimates that it will take billions of local currency to restore the community after the hurricane's destruction. For now, he says, the main goal is removing debris from blocked routes, which have isolated the town.

“Efforts are underway to clear the main roads and secondary routes here so that we can deliver relief supplies in. Most of our supermarkets, if not all, were severely affected so they won’t be able to offer goods to persons who are in dire straits at this moment,” he adds.

The prime minister has seen the damage personally, with an aerial tour of the area revealing 80 to 90% of roofs in the area had been destroyed.

“This will be a massive task to restore 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 keep the optimism, remain hopeful, and we will overcome this challenge, and we will rebuild better,” he affirmed.