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This mayor of the town of Black River – a community described as “the epicenter” for the devastating storm – has shared the immense storm surges and widespread devastation caused by the disaster.

Speaking on the traumatic ordeal, the mayor recalled enduring the Category 5 hurricane at an emergency operating centre.

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

Five individuals from the town are reported dead, but the mayor noted receiving word of additional fatalities that remain unconfirmed due to communication and travel difficulties.

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

“We got up to 4.8 metres of flooding at the response center. It was a bit scary for us, and we were praying that it would not increase any more, because we were on the second floor, and frankly, when we saw the water climbing, it was a terrifying experience for us.”

Solomon explained that Black River, situated in the severely affected south-western region of the area, is without water and electricity, and the majority of buildings have lost their roofs. One official earlier described the town as flooded, with over 500,000 residents lacking electricity. A mudslide has blocked the main roads of a nearby area, where streets have been turned to mud pits. Residents are now removing water from their homes and attempting to rescue their belongings.

Search and rescue operations and evaluations have become extremely difficult because every one of the town’s transport and essential facilities such as firefighting, law enforcement, medical centers 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 individual toll of the disaster.

“My vehicle was completely covered by water. The roofing was lost, so I fully grasp the pain that people are experiencing, but what is a priority for me now is to focus on getting assistance for the most at-risk at this time,” he says.

The mayor estimates that it will take billions of Jamaican dollars to restore the community after the hurricane's destruction. For now, he says, the main goal is removing debris from blocked routes, which have isolated the town.

“We are now trying to get the major thoroughfares and secondary routes here so that we can get aid in. The majority of our supermarkets, if not all, were severely affected so they won’t be able to offer goods to persons who are in need at this time,” he says.

National leadership has witnessed the devastation first-hand, with an aerial tour of the area showing 80 to 90% of roofs in the area had been destroyed.

“This will be a massive task to restore this historic town. But while it is damaged, we can vision a tomorrow of it rising stronger and better,” he informed reporters.

“We will get it done. So maintain the optimism, remain hopeful, and we will overcome this challenge, and we will reconstruct stronger,” he said.