Richard Branson says Hurricane Irma 'utterly devastated' his private island, urges everyone to take shelter from monster storm
According to a Virgin Group spokesperson and now confirmed by Branson himself, Necker Island has been severely damaged by Irma.
In a new blog post on Virgin's website, Branson recounts the devastation the Category 5 hurricane has caused in the Caribbean.
"It is a traumatic time here in the British Virgin Islands. Hurricane Irma is continuing a path of destruction that brought the eye of the storm to Necker Island, Moskito Island and the whole surrounding area," he wrote.
"I have never seen anything like this hurricane. Necker and the whole area have been completely and utterly devastated. We are still assessing the damage, but whole houses and trees have disappeared."
In fact, the doors and windows outside of the wine cellar where Branson and his team sought shelter had flown 40 feet away.
The intrepid billionaire expressed his sympathy for his fellow islanders whose lives have been destroyed by Irma. He also urges anyone in the path of the storm to immediately take shelter.
"All of the team situated on Necker and Moskito are safe and well. We took shelter from the strongest hurricane ever inside the concrete cellar on Necker and very, very fortunately it held firm. Our thoughts go out to everyone affected by the disaster elsewhere in the BVI, Caribbean and beyond.
For those who are still in the path of Hurricane Irma, and Hurricane Jose to come, I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to put safety first and prepare as strongly as possible. Having seen first-hand the power of this storm, please ensure you stay inside, ideally in organized shelters or other solid concrete structures with water, supplies and emergency contact plans."
"I know we are fortunate here on Necker and Moskito. Our wonderful team are fine. I know we will all band together and rebuild the islands to become stronger and even more wonderful than they were before," Branson wrote.
Hurricane Irma has wreaked havoc in the Caribbean. The Category 5 hurricane entered the Caribbean on Tuesday night as it made landfall in the Leeward Islands. Since then, Irma has left a path of destruction in Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Martin, and Montserrat.