People walk along muddied roads scavenging the wreckage for food. Others jump into damaged stores in the hope of finding bottled water or other supplies.
As the death toll rises, residents of Black River are still searching for loved ones while they also battle to survive, days after Hurricane Melissa made this Jamaican port city ground zero of the devastation seen across the Caribbean.
Residents here say they have been living in a state of chaos the last three days since Melissa slammed into them as one of the most powerful category 5 storms ever recorded in the region.
The fierce winds and storm surge that barrelled through here have decimated nearly everything, leaving roads unusable and a trail of destruction that has them increasingly desperate and isolated with no electricity or running water.
Capsized boats lie curbside. Brick buildings are split in half. Giant sheets of metal are twisted between tree branches. Vehicles sit in crumbled pieces.
Residents who spoke to the BBC said they have seen no aid trucks in the area so far and described having to eat what food they can find in debris by the roads in the coastal town, nearly 150 km (93 miles) west of Kingston.
Others made their way inside battered supermarkets, taking what they could for themselves. Some, who climbed on top of one partially destroyed market, tossed food and bottles of water down below, where people gathered with arms outstretched.
Demar Walker explained, sitting in a shaded area down the street from the store to escape the heat and 80% humidity, saying they had to climb into the market due to its roof caving in. He added, We didn't be selfish, we had to throw food to other people. Nearby, others told of a local pharmacy being looted in Black River, describing anarchy as people ran in and out carrying armfuls of drugs and alcohol.
Just down the road, a woman standing atop a pile of debris described the situation there as chaos, chaos. Total. No food. No water.
Jimmy Esson, leaning against a massive metal beam that had been knocked to the ground, said, I lost everything, all my things. We need food. We have no food.
Local officials estimate that 90% of the houses here were destroyed, with much of the town's vital infrastructure, including the local hospital, police station, and fire station, in ruins.
The situation is dire as residents await urgent aid, hoping for supplies to help them begin to rebuild their lives in the aftermath of the hurricane.
