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

Reflecting on the harrowing ordeal, the mayor described enduring the Category 5 hurricane at an emergency response center.

“Our community of this area is in ruins,” he stated. “The destruction is so severe that the prime minister designated this area as ground zero.”

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

“The hurricane came around 8 a.m. and lasted for around several hours, during which we were pounded with strong gusts and a lot of rain,” he added.

“We got up to 16ft of water at the emergency operating centre. That was a bit scary for us, and we were praying that it would not rise any more, because we were on the upper level, and frankly, when we saw the water climbing, it was a scary moment for us.”

The mayor stated that Black River, located in the hard-hit south-western parish of St Elizabeth, is lacking water and power, and the majority of buildings have lost their roofing. One official previously described the town as under water, with over 500,000 residents without power. A landslide has obstructed the primary routes of Santa Cruz, where streets have been reduced to muddy tracks. Locals are now sweeping water from their homes and trying to rescue their belongings.

Search and rescue operations and damage assessments have become almost impossible because all the town’s transport and critical services such as fire, police, medical centers and grocery stores were “immensely damaged,” notes the mayor.

He is now concentrating on trying to assist the neediest residents, while also dealing with the individual toll of the disaster.

“My vehicle was completely covered by water. My roof went, so I fully grasp the pain that persons are feeling, but what is a priority for me now is to focus on securing assistance for the most vulnerable at this time,” he explains.

The mayor believes that it will take billions of local currency to rebuild the community after the hurricane's destruction. At present, he states, the priority is removing debris from impassable roads, which have isolated the town.

“We are now trying to clear the main roads and secondary routes here so that we can get aid in. The majority of our stores, if not all, were impacted negatively so they won’t be able to offer goods to persons who are in need at this time,” he says.

The prime minister has witnessed the devastation first-hand, with an flyover of the area showing the vast majority of roofs in the area had been destroyed.

“It is going to be a massive task to restore Black River. But although it is destroyed, we can vision a tomorrow of it rising more resilient and improved,” he told local media.

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