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This mayor of the town of Black River – an area described as “ground zero” for Hurricane Melissa – has shared the immense flooding and widespread devastation caused by the disaster.

Speaking on the traumatic experience, the mayor recalled riding out the Category 5 storm at an emergency response center.

“The entire town of Black River is devastated,” he said. “And that devastation 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 the mayor noted receiving word of other fatalities that are still being verified due to communication and transportation difficulties.

“Storm Melissa came around 8 a.m. and lasted for around nine hours, during which we were battered with heavy winds and torrential rainfall,” he added.

“We experienced up to 16ft of water at the response center. 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 I tell you, when we saw the water climbing, it was a scary moment for us.”

The mayor stated that the town, situated in the severely affected south-western parish of St Elizabeth, is lacking running water and electricity, and the majority of buildings have lost their roofing. One official earlier characterized the town as under water, with more than 500,000 inhabitants lacking electricity. A mudslide has blocked the main roads of a nearby area, where streets have been turned to muddy tracks. Residents are now sweeping water from their houses and attempting to salvage their belongings.

Rescue efforts and evaluations have become almost impossible because all the town’s transport and essential facilities such as firefighting, law enforcement, hospitals and grocery stores were “severely damaged,” notes the mayor.

He is now concentrating on working to help the neediest residents, while also dealing with the personal impact of the disaster.

“The mayor's car was totally covered by water. The roofing went, so I do understand the suffering that people are feeling, but what is a priority for me now is to concentrate on securing assistance for the most at-risk at this time,” he explains.

The mayor estimates that it will take billions of Jamaican dollars to restore the community after Melissa’s destruction. At present, he says, the priority is removing debris from impassable roads, which have isolated the town.

“We are now trying to get the main roads and secondary routes here so that we can deliver relief supplies in. The majority of our supermarkets, if not all, were impacted negatively so they won’t be able to offer goods to persons who are in dire straits at this time,” he adds.

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

“This will be a enormous undertaking to restore this historic town. But while it is damaged, we can envision a future of it rising stronger and improved,” he told local media.

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