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This local leader of Black River – a community referred to as “ground zero” for Hurricane Melissa – has detailed the monstrous storm surges and widespread destruction caused by the catastrophe.

Speaking on the harrowing ordeal, the mayor recalled riding out the Category 5 storm at an emergency response center.

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

Several people from the town are reported dead, but the mayor noted receiving word of other deaths that remain unconfirmed due to communication and travel challenges.

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

“We experienced up to 16ft of flooding at the response center. It was a frightening moment for us, and we were praying that it would not increase any more, because we were on the second floor, and I tell you, when we saw the water rising, it was a terrifying experience for us.”

Solomon explained that the town, located in the hard-hit southwest region of St Elizabeth, is lacking running water and electricity, and most structures have had their roofing. One official earlier described the town as under water, with more than 500,000 inhabitants without power. A landslide has obstructed the main roads of Santa Cruz, where streets have been reduced to muddy tracks. Residents are now sweeping water from their houses and trying to salvage their possessions.

Search and rescue operations and damage assessments have proven almost impossible because all the town’s vehicles and critical services such as firefighting, law enforcement, hospitals and supermarkets were “immensely damaged,” notes Solomon.

He is now focused on trying to help the neediest residents, while also dealing with the individual toll of the devastation.

“My vehicle was completely covered by water. My roof went, so I fully grasp the suffering that people are feeling, but what is a key focus for me now is to focus on getting assistance for the most vulnerable at this point,” he says.

The mayor believes that it will take millions of Jamaican dollars to restore the community after the hurricane's destruction. At present, he states, the main goal is removing debris from blocked routes, which have isolated the town.

“We are now trying to clear the major thoroughfares and secondary routes here so that we can deliver aid in. Most of our stores, 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.

National leadership has witnessed the devastation first-hand, with an aerial tour of the area showing the vast majority of buildings in the area had been lost.

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

“We will get it done. So keep the optimism, keep hope alive, and we will get through this, and we will reconstruct stronger,” he said.