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

Reflecting on the harrowing ordeal, Richard Solomon recalled enduring the Category 5 storm at an emergency response center.

“The entire town of Black River is in ruins,” he stated. “And that devastation is so severe that the prime minister designated this area as ground zero.”

Five individuals from the town are confirmed to have died, but the mayor noted receiving word of other fatalities that remain unconfirmed due to connectivity and transportation difficulties.

“Storm Melissa came around eight in the morning and lasted for around nine hours, during which we were pounded with strong gusts and a lot of rain,” he added.

“We experienced up to 16ft of flooding at the response center. That was a bit scary for us, and we were praying that it would not increase any more, because we were on the upper level, and frankly, when we saw the water rising, it was a terrifying moment for us.”

The mayor stated that Black River, located in the hard-hit southwest parish of the area, is lacking water and power, and the majority of buildings have lost their roofs. An authority previously characterized the town as flooded, with over half a million residents without power. A mudslide has blocked the primary routes of a nearby area, where roadways have been turned to muddy tracks. Locals are now removing water from their houses and attempting to rescue their belongings.

Search and rescue operations and damage assessments have become almost impossible because every one of the town’s transport and essential facilities such as firefighting, law enforcement, hospitals and supermarkets were “immensely damaged,” notes Solomon.

The mayor is now concentrating on working to assist the most vulnerable, while also dealing with the personal impact of the devastation.

“The mayor's car was totally submerged by water. My roof went, so I do understand the suffering that persons are experiencing, but what is a key focus for me now is to focus on getting assistance for the most at-risk at this time,” he explains.

Solomon estimates that it will take billions of local currency to restore Black River after Melissa’s destruction. At present, he states, the main goal is removing debris from impassable roads, which have cut off the town.

“We are now trying to clear the main roads 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 dire straits at this moment,” he adds.

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

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

“We will get it done. So keep the positive outlook, keep hope alive, and we will overcome this challenge, and we will reconstruct stronger,” he affirmed.