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This local leader of the town of Black River – an area referred to as “the epicenter” for Hurricane Melissa – has detailed the immense flooding and extensive devastation caused by the disaster.

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

“Our community of Black River is devastated,” he said. “The destruction is so severe that the national leader classified this area as the worst-hit zone.”

Five individuals from Black River are reported to have died, but the mayor mentioned receiving word of other deaths that remain unconfirmed due to communication and travel difficulties.

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

“We got up to 4.8 metres of flooding at the response center. It was a bit scary for us, and we were hoping that it would not increase any further, 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 Black River, located in the severely affected south-western parish of the area, is without running water and electricity, and most structures have lost their roofs. An authority earlier characterized the town as flooded, with over half a million residents without power. A landslide has obstructed the main roads of Santa Cruz, where roadways have been turned to mud pits. Locals are now removing water from their houses and trying to rescue their possessions.

Search and rescue operations and damage assessments have become extremely difficult because all the town’s vehicles and essential facilities such as fire, police, hospitals and supermarkets were “severely damaged,” notes Solomon.

He is now concentrating on working to help the most vulnerable, while also dealing with the individual toll of the disaster.

“The mayor's car was completely submerged by water. The roofing went, so I fully grasp the suffering that people are feeling, but what is a priority for me now is to concentrate on securing aid relief for the most at-risk at this time,” he explains.

Solomon believes that it will take billions of local currency to restore Black River after the hurricane's destruction. For now, he states, the priority is removing debris from impassable roads, which have cut off the town.

“We are now trying to get the major thoroughfares and secondary routes here so that we can get relief supplies in. The majority of our supermarkets, if not all, were impacted negatively so they will be unable to offer goods to persons who are in need at this time,” he adds.

The prime minister has witnessed the devastation first-hand, with an flyover of the region revealing the vast majority of buildings in the area had been lost.

“This will be a massive undertaking to rebuild this historic town. But while it is damaged, we can vision a future of it rising more resilient and improved,” he told reporters.

“We will get it done. So keep the optimism, remain hopeful, and we will get through this, and we will rebuild better,” he affirmed.