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This local leader of the town of Black River – an area described as “ground zero” for the devastating storm – has detailed the monstrous flooding and extensive devastation caused by the disaster.

Speaking on the traumatic ordeal, Richard Solomon recalled riding out the Category 5 hurricane at an emergency response center.

“Our community of this area is in ruins,” he said. “And that devastation is so catastrophic that the prime minister classified this area as ground zero.”

Several people from the town are confirmed dead, but Solomon noted receiving word of additional deaths that are still being verified due to connectivity and travel challenges.

“The hurricane arrived around eight in the morning and continued for around nine hours, during which we were pounded with strong gusts and torrential rainfall,” he explained.

“We got up to 4.8 metres of water at the emergency operating centre. That was a bit scary for us, and we were hoping that it would not rise any more, because we were on the second floor, and frankly, when we saw the water climbing, it was a scary experience for us.”

Solomon stated that Black River, situated in the severely affected south-western parish of St Elizabeth, is without water and power, and the majority of buildings have lost their roofing. An authority earlier described the town as under water, with over 500,000 inhabitants lacking electricity. A mudslide has blocked the main roads of a nearby area, where streets have been reduced to mud pits. Locals are now sweeping water from their houses and trying to rescue their possessions.

Search and rescue operations and damage assessments have proven extremely difficult because all the town’s vehicles and essential facilities such as firefighting, police, hospitals and grocery stores were “immensely damaged,” says the mayor.

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

“My vehicle was completely submerged by water. My roof was lost, so I fully grasp the pain that persons are feeling, but what is a key focus for me now is to focus on getting aid relief for the most at-risk at this point,” he says.

The mayor believes that it will take millions of local currency to rebuild the community after the hurricane's annihilation. At present, he says, the priority is clearing impassable roads, which have isolated the town.

“Efforts are underway to clear the major thoroughfares and critical lateral roads here so that we can deliver aid in. The majority of our supermarkets, if not all, were impacted negatively so they won’t be able to provide supplies to persons who are in dire straits at this time,” he adds.

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

“It is going to be a enormous task to restore Black River. But while it is damaged, we can vision a future of it emerging 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 rebuild better,” he affirmed.