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This local leader of Black River – an area referred to as “ground zero” for the devastating storm – has detailed the immense storm surges and widespread destruction wrought by the catastrophe.

Speaking on the traumatic experience, Richard Solomon described riding out the intense hurricane at an emergency operating centre.

“The entire town of this area is in ruins,” he said. “The destruction is so catastrophic that the prime minister classified this area as the worst-hit zone.”

Several people from the town are confirmed to have died, but the mayor mentioned receiving word of other deaths that remain unconfirmed due to connectivity and transportation challenges.

“The hurricane arrived around 8 a.m. and lasted 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 response center. It was a frightening moment for us, and we were hoping that it would not increase any further, because we were on the second floor, and I tell you, when we saw the water rising, it was a scary moment for us.”

The mayor stated that Black River, located in the severely affected south-western parish of the area, is lacking water and power, and most buildings have lost their roofs. An authority earlier characterized the town as under water, with over 500,000 inhabitants lacking electricity. A landslide has blocked the primary routes of Santa Cruz, where streets have been reduced to mud pits. Locals are now sweeping water from their homes and attempting to salvage their possessions.

Search and rescue operations and evaluations have proven extremely difficult because all the town’s vehicles and critical services such as fire, police, hospitals and grocery stores were “severely damaged,” notes Solomon.

The mayor is now concentrating on working to assist the neediest residents, while also coping with the personal impact of the devastation.

“My vehicle was totally covered by water. My roof was lost, so I do understand the pain that people are experiencing, but what is a priority for me now is to focus on getting aid relief for the most at-risk at this time,” he explains.

Solomon believes that it will take billions of Jamaican dollars to rebuild the community after the hurricane's destruction. For now, he states, the main goal is removing debris from blocked routes, which have isolated the town.

“We are now trying to get the major thoroughfares and critical lateral roads here so that we can deliver aid in. The majority of our supermarkets, 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 witnessed the damage personally, with an flyover of the area revealing the vast majority of buildings in the area had been destroyed.

“It is going to be a massive undertaking to restore Black River. But while it is damaged, we can vision a tomorrow of it rising more resilient and better,” he told reporters.

“It will be accomplished. So keep the positive outlook, remain hopeful, and we will get through this, and we will rebuild better,” he said.