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This local leader of the town of Black River – a community referred to as “ground zero” for the devastating storm – has shared the monstrous flooding and extensive devastation caused by the catastrophe.

Reflecting on the harrowing ordeal, Richard Solomon described riding out the Category 5 hurricane at an emergency operating centre.

“Our community of Black River is in ruins,” he said. “And that devastation is so catastrophic that the national leader designated this area as ground zero.”

Several people from the town are confirmed to have died, but the mayor mentioned hearing reports of other fatalities that remain unconfirmed due to communication and travel difficulties.

“Storm Melissa came around eight in the morning and continued for around several hours, during which we were pounded with heavy winds and torrential rainfall,” he explained.

“We got up to 4.8 metres of water at the emergency operating centre. It was a bit scary for us, and we were praying that it would not rise any more, because we were on the second floor, and I tell you, when we saw the water climbing, it was a terrifying moment for us.”

Solomon stated that the town, situated in the hard-hit south-western region of the area, is lacking running water and electricity, and most buildings have had their roofing. An authority previously characterized the town as under water, with more than 500,000 inhabitants without power. A landslide has obstructed the main roads of a nearby area, where roadways have been turned to muddy tracks. Residents are now removing water from their homes and trying to rescue their possessions.

Rescue efforts and evaluations have proven almost impossible because all the town’s vehicles and essential facilities such as fire, police, medical centers and supermarkets were “immensely damaged,” says Solomon.

The mayor is now focused on working to assist the neediest residents, while also coping with the individual toll of the devastation.

“The mayor's car was totally submerged by water. The roofing went, so I do understand the suffering 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.

Solomon believes that it will take millions of local currency to restore Black River after Melissa’s destruction. For now, he says, the main goal is removing debris from impassable roads, which have cut off the town.

“We are now trying to clear the major thoroughfares and critical lateral roads here so that we can get aid in. Most 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 time,” he adds.

The prime minister has seen the damage first-hand, with an aerial tour of the region showing 80 to 90% of buildings in the area had been lost.

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

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