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The mayor of the town of Black River – an area described as “the epicenter” for the devastating storm – has shared the monstrous storm surges and widespread destruction wrought by the catastrophe.

Reflecting on the traumatic experience, the mayor recalled enduring the Category 5 hurricane at an emergency response center.

“Our community of this area is devastated,” he stated. “The destruction is so catastrophic that the prime minister classified this area as the worst-hit zone.”

Five individuals from the town are confirmed to have died, but Solomon noted receiving word of other deaths that remain unconfirmed due to connectivity and travel challenges.

“The hurricane arrived around eight in the morning and continued for around several hours, during which we were pounded with heavy winds and a lot of rain,” he added.

“We experienced up to 16ft of flooding at the emergency operating centre. That was a bit scary for us, and we were praying that it would not increase any further, because we were on the upper level, and I tell you, when we saw the water rising, it was a scary moment for us.”

Solomon stated that Black River, situated in the severely affected south-western region of St Elizabeth, is lacking running water and power, and the majority of structures have had their roofing. One official previously described the town as under water, with more than half a million inhabitants without power. A landslide has blocked the main roads of Santa Cruz, where streets have been reduced to mud pits. Locals are now sweeping water from their homes and attempting to salvage their belongings.

Search and rescue operations and evaluations have proven almost impossible because all the town’s transport and critical services such as firefighting, law enforcement, hospitals and supermarkets were “immensely damaged,” says the mayor.

He is now concentrating on trying to assist the most vulnerable, while also dealing with the individual toll of the devastation.

“The mayor's car was totally submerged by water. My roof was lost, so I fully grasp the suffering that people are feeling, but what is a key focus for me now is to concentrate on securing aid relief for the most vulnerable at this time,” he explains.

The mayor estimates that it will take millions of local currency to restore Black River after the hurricane's destruction. At present, he says, the priority 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 deliver aid in. Most of our supermarkets, if not all, were impacted negatively so they will be unable to offer goods to persons who are in dire straits at this moment,” he adds.

National leadership has seen the damage personally, with an flyover of the region showing the vast majority of buildings in the area had been destroyed.

“This will be a massive task to restore this historic town. But although it is damaged, we can envision a future of it rising more resilient and improved,” he informed reporters.

“We will get it done. So maintain the positive outlook, remain hopeful, and we will get through this, and we will rebuild better,” he affirmed.