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This mayor of the town of Black River – a community referred to as “ground zero” for the devastating storm – has shared the monstrous flooding and widespread destruction caused by the disaster.

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

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

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

“The hurricane arrived 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 4.8 metres of water at the response center. That was a frightening moment for us, and we were praying that it would not increase any more, because we were on the upper level, and I tell you, when we saw the water rising, it was a scary experience for us.”

Solomon stated that the town, located in the severely affected southwest parish of the area, is lacking water and electricity, and the majority of buildings have had their roofing. An authority earlier characterized the town as under water, with more than 500,000 residents lacking electricity. A mudslide has obstructed the main roads of Santa Cruz, where streets have been turned to mud pits. Residents are now sweeping water from their homes and trying to salvage their belongings.

Rescue efforts and damage assessments have proven almost impossible because every one of the town’s vehicles and critical services such as firefighting, law enforcement, medical centers and grocery stores were “immensely damaged,” notes Solomon.

He is now concentrating on trying to help the neediest residents, while also dealing with the personal impact of the disaster.

“My vehicle was completely submerged 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 concentrate on getting aid relief for the most vulnerable at this time,” he says.

Solomon believes that it will take billions of local currency to restore the community after Melissa’s annihilation. For now, he states, the priority is removing debris from impassable roads, which have isolated the town.

“Efforts are underway to clear the main roads and secondary routes here so that we can get relief supplies in. The majority of our stores, if not all, were severely affected so they won’t be able to provide supplies to individuals who are in need at this moment,” he says.

National leadership has seen the devastation first-hand, with an flyover of the region revealing 80 to 90% of roofs in the area had been destroyed.

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

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