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This local leader of the town of Black River – a community referred to as “the epicenter” for the devastating storm – has shared the monstrous storm surges and widespread devastation caused by the disaster.

Reflecting on the traumatic ordeal, the mayor described riding out the Category 5 storm at an emergency operating centre.

“Our community of this area is devastated,” he said. “And that devastation is so severe that the national leader designated this area as ground zero.”

Five individuals from the town are confirmed dead, but the mayor mentioned receiving word of other deaths that are still being verified due to connectivity and travel challenges.

“The hurricane came around eight in the morning and lasted for around nine hours, during which we were pounded with heavy winds and a lot of rain,” he explained.

“We got up to 16ft of water at the response center. 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 climbing, it was a terrifying experience for us.”

The mayor explained that Black River, situated in the hard-hit southwest parish of the area, is lacking water and electricity, and the majority of buildings have had their roofs. One official previously described the town as under water, with more than 500,000 residents lacking electricity. A mudslide has obstructed the main roads of Santa Cruz, where streets have been turned to mud pits. Residents are now removing water from their homes and trying to rescue their belongings.

Search and rescue operations and evaluations have proven extremely difficult because every one of the town’s vehicles and critical services such as fire, law enforcement, hospitals and grocery stores were “severely damaged,” says the mayor.

He is now focused on working to help the most vulnerable, while also coping with the individual toll of the disaster.

“My vehicle was completely submerged by water. The roofing was lost, so I fully grasp the pain that people are feeling, but what is a priority for me now is to focus on getting aid relief for the most at-risk at this point,” he explains.

The mayor believes that it will take millions of local currency to restore the community after the hurricane's destruction. For now, he states, the priority is clearing impassable roads, which have cut off the town.

“We are now trying to get the major thoroughfares and critical lateral roads here so that we can get relief supplies in. The majority of our supermarkets, if not all, were impacted negatively so they won’t be able to offer goods to individuals who are in dire straits at this moment,” he adds.

The prime minister has seen the devastation first-hand, with an aerial tour of the area revealing the vast majority of roofs in the area had been lost.

“This will be a enormous task to rebuild Black River. But while it is destroyed, we can envision a tomorrow of it rising more resilient and better,” he informed local media.

“It will be accomplished. So keep the positive outlook, remain hopeful, and we will overcome this challenge, and we will rebuild better,” he affirmed.