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The mayor of the town of Black River – a community described as “ground zero” for the devastating storm – has detailed the immense storm surges and widespread devastation wrought by the disaster.

Reflecting on the harrowing experience, the mayor described riding out the Category 5 storm at an emergency response center.

“The entire town of this area is devastated,” he said. “The destruction is so severe that the national leader classified this area as ground zero.”

Several people from the town are confirmed to have died, but the mayor mentioned receiving word of other deaths 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 strong gusts and torrential rainfall,” he added.

“We experienced up to 4.8 metres of flooding at the emergency operating centre. It was a frightening moment for us, and we were hoping that it would not rise any further, because we were on the upper level, and frankly, when we saw the water rising, it was a scary experience for us.”

The mayor stated that the town, located in the severely affected southwest region of the area, is without water and power, and the majority of structures have lost their roofing. One official previously characterized the town as flooded, with over 500,000 residents without power. A landslide has blocked the main roads of a nearby area, where roadways have been turned to mud pits. Locals are now sweeping water from their houses and attempting to rescue their possessions.

Rescue efforts and evaluations have become extremely difficult because all the town’s transport and essential facilities such as fire, police, hospitals and supermarkets were “immensely damaged,” says the mayor.

The mayor is now focused on trying to assist the neediest residents, while also dealing with the individual toll of the disaster.

“The mayor's car was totally covered by water. My roof went, so I do understand the pain that people are feeling, but what is a key focus for me now is to focus on getting assistance for the most at-risk at this time,” he explains.

The mayor estimates that it will take billions of local currency to restore Black River after Melissa’s destruction. At present, he states, the main goal is clearing impassable roads, which have cut off the town.

“We are now trying to clear the major thoroughfares and secondary routes here so that we can get aid in. Most of our stores, if not all, were severely affected so they will be unable to provide supplies to persons who are in dire straits at this time,” he says.

The prime minister has witnessed the devastation personally, with an aerial tour of the area revealing 80 to 90% of buildings in the area had been lost.

“It is going to be a enormous undertaking to rebuild this historic town. But although it is destroyed, we can vision a tomorrow of it emerging stronger and better,” he informed local media.

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