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This local leader of Black River – an area described as “the epicenter” for the devastating storm – has shared the immense flooding and extensive devastation wrought by the catastrophe.

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

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

Several people from Black River are confirmed to have died, but Solomon mentioned receiving word of other fatalities that are still being verified due to connectivity and travel challenges.

“The hurricane came around 8 a.m. and continued for around nine hours, during which we were pounded with strong gusts and a lot of rain,” he explained.

“We experienced 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 increase any more, because we were on the upper level, and frankly, when we saw the water rising, it was a terrifying experience for us.”

Solomon stated that Black River, located in the severely affected southwest parish of St Elizabeth, is without running water and electricity, and the majority of buildings have had their roofs. One official earlier described the town as under water, with over half a million inhabitants without power. A landslide has blocked the primary routes of a nearby area, where roadways have been turned to mud pits. Residents are now sweeping water from their houses and attempting to rescue their belongings.

Rescue efforts and evaluations have become almost impossible because all the town’s vehicles and critical services such as firefighting, police, medical centers and grocery stores were “severely damaged,” says Solomon.

The mayor is now focused on trying to assist the most vulnerable, while also coping with the personal impact of the devastation.

“The mayor's car was completely submerged by water. The roofing was lost, so I do understand the suffering that people are experiencing, but what is a key focus for me now is to concentrate on getting aid relief for the most at-risk at this point,” he says.

The mayor believes that it will take billions of local currency to rebuild Black River after the hurricane's annihilation. For now, he says, the main goal is clearing impassable roads, which have cut off the town.

“Efforts are underway to clear the major thoroughfares and secondary routes here so that we can deliver relief supplies in. Most of our supermarkets, if not all, were impacted negatively so they will be unable to provide supplies to persons who are in dire straits at this moment,” he says.

National leadership has seen the damage personally, with an flyover of the region revealing the vast majority of roofs in the area had been lost.

“It is going to be a massive task to restore Black River. But while it is destroyed, we can vision a tomorrow of it emerging more resilient and better,” he informed reporters.

“It will be accomplished. So maintain the positive outlook, remain hopeful, and we will overcome this challenge, and we will reconstruct stronger,” he affirmed.