Richard Branson reveals ‘traumatic’ Hurricane Imra has ‘completely and utterly devastated’ Necker Island after taking shelter from monster storm in wine cellar
RICHARD Branson has revealed Necker Island has been “completely and utterly devastated” after taking a direct hit from deadly Hurricane Imra.
A blog post published on , dictated via satellite phone by the British billionaire told of the “traumatic” experience of surviving the monster storm.
The 67-year-old took shelter in his concrete wine cellar as the eye of the hurricane passed over his Caribbean island destroying nearly everything in sight.
In the blog post, he said: “It is a traumatic time here in the British Virgin Islands.
“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.”
The storm, estimated to be the size of France, is the most powerful to hit the Atlantic Ocean and has so far left at least 10 people dead.
Branson, who bought the island paradise when he was just 28-years-old, said he had “never seen anything like this hurricane.”
most read in news
He added: “Necker and the whole area have been completely and utterly devastated.
“We are still assessing the damage, but whole houses and trees have disappeared.
“Outside of the bunker, bathroom and bedroom doors and windows have flown 40 feet away.
“I’m speaking these words from a satellite phone that is just about working, but all other communications are down.”
The Virgin boss also warned those in the path of Imra and its neighbouring storms to take shelter.
He said: “For those who are still in the path of Hurricane Irma, and Hurricane Jose to come, I cannot emphasise 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 organised shelters or other solid concrete structures with water, supplies and emergency contact plans.”
The entrepreneur also confirmed that his company had made a donation to the British Red Cross and encouraged others to make a contribution via .
Previously, Branson’s son shared a shocking video showing scenes of utter devastation after deadly Hurricane Irma pummelled the British Virgin Islands.
He revealed his billionaire dad’s private island was completely destroyed by the monster storm, but assured that “all humans survived” at the luxury hideaway.
Sam Branson shared traumatic footage of the carnage on neighbouring Tortola after hurricane Irma ripped roofs off houses and caused flooding.
"Most buildings completely destroyed. Many left homeless. Beyond tragic. My deepest wishes go to all those affected," he captioned the video.
He admitted there has been "lots of damage" to his dad's retreat, but stressed "homes can be rebuilt but lives can't".
In a lengthy Instagram post, Sam wrote: "Glad to say that all humans on Necker are okay although a lot of buildings destroyed.
"Very concerned for our friends and everyone on the neighbouring islands and people in its path.
"Please don't take this hurricane lightly if it is heading your way. If your building is not very solid, do find somewhere safe!"
In a second post he revealed there is no cell power or wifi on nearby Virgin Gorda and added that many neighbouring islands have been destroyed.
"Lots of debris, so with the wind everyone needs to still be careful," he wrote.
"Branson is ok on Necker, but lots of damage to the island."
Hours before the storm brutally hit Necker Island, the Brit billionaire jokingly said he would hide in his wine cellar, as he was pictured playing dice with his staff members on Tuesday night.
Writing in his blog before the hurricane hit, Sir Richard said: "We are expecting to get the full force of the hurricane in around five hours’ time, when we will retreat to a concrete wine cellar under the Great House.
"Knowing our wonderful team as I do, I suspect there will be little wine left in the cellar when we all emerge."
The Virgin boss, 67, shared pictures of his team holed up together in bunk beds as they waited out the storm - which is estimated to be the size of France.
"We have just experienced a night of howling wind and rain as Hurricane Irma edges ever closer towards us on Necker and the British Virgin Islands," he said.
"All of us slept together in two rooms. I haven't had a sleepover quite like it since I was a kid.
"Strangely, it's a privilege to experience what is turning into possibly the strongest storm ever with such a great group of young people."
Photos from inside the island retreat captured panicked staff members moving furniture, kayaks and other water sport equipment inside.
Sir Richard - who has a net worth of around £3.8billion, described the atmosphere before the storm, as "eerie but beautiful".
All guests had been evacuated from the celeb hangout and staff members have been moved to the main house for safety.
Justifying his decision to stay on Necker Island as the hurricane passed, Sir Richard Necker has "really strong buildings" with hurricane blinds that can handle "extreme weather pretty well".
Hurricane Irma had already lashed the Caribbean islands of Barbuda, St Barthelemy and St Martin, before it passed Necker.
HURRICANE HELL 12 deadliest hurricanes to ever batter America including Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Sandy
The "potentially catastrophic" storm is churning along a path pointing to Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Cuba before possibly hitting Florida over the weekend.
Hurricane Irma is set to unleash a wave of "direct hurricane impacts" across Florida over teh weekend, the National Hurricane Centre has said.
While Hurricane watches remain in effect across northwestern Bahamas and much of Cuba, "life-threatening wind" is expected in Puerto Rico, on Thursday night.
Before the storm, Sir Richard said the eye of the storm was heading straight for Necker Island.
“Fortunately, most of them drift north of us, but this one is coming straight for us, with the eye of the storm heading straight for Necker, Moskito Island and Virgin Gorda," he said.
“Obviously things can change – hopefully they do, as a category five hurricane hasn’t hit the [British Virgin Islands] BVI full on before.”
He insisted Necker Island has “really strong buildings” with hurricane blinds that should be able to handle “extreme weather pretty well”.
PRIVATE PARADISE Richard Branson’s luxury Caribbean island
Sir Richard Branson has hosted A-listers from Mariah Carey and Harry Styles to the Obamas at his private Caribbean retreat – Necker Island.
The luxury hideaway boasts pristine white sand and crystal-clear waters, but the idyll is currently under threat from the most powerful Atlantic Ocean hurricane ever recorded.
The Virgin boss bought Necker in 1979 for around £180,000 and ever since he has used the private paradise to schmooze the rich and famous.
He has hosted everyone from Ronnie and Sally Wood to David Hasselhoff at the luxury retreat.
If you are lucky enough to be a friend of Branson’s, then it will probably cost you nothing to stay on Necker.
But mere mortals need to shell out £40,000 a night.
“We had some lovely guests staying on Necker Island who have cut their trip short for safety reasons, and another group of guests have also postponed,” Sir Richard wrote.
“I will be on Necker alongside our team, as I have been on the three times we have had hurricanes over the past 30 years.”
The billionaire urged other islanders to go to shelter and prepare for a huge storm.
HURRICANE HELL 12 deadliest hurricanes to ever batter America including Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Sandy
He wrote: “With the likelihood of a Category 5 hurricane, it is really important people go to hurricane shelters if possible (such as the Methodist Church and public community centres in Virgin Gorda).
“Have a plan for where you can stay, have a go-bag with disaster supplies, and have a family emergency communication plan. Keep informed of the latest developments (we have been getting updates from the Government and BVI Tourist Board) and stay safe.”
The Virgin boss has entertained A-listers from Mariah Carey, Kate Winslet and Harry Styles to the Obamas at the stunning retreat.
Brit holidaymakers have been urged to follow any evacuation orders and expats have barricaded their homes as the monster storm continued on a devastating path towards the US.
Residents said over local radio that phone lines went down as the hurricane raged across the island with winds of 185 mph and gusts of 218 mph.
Heavy rain and howling winds slammed the neighbouring island of Antigua, sending debris flying as people huddled in their homes or government shelters.
"We are hunkered down and it is very windy ... the wind is a major threat," said Garfield Burford, the director of news at ABS TV and Radio on the island of Antigua, south of Barbuda.
"So far, some roofs have been blown off."
Officials warned people to seek protection from Irma's "onslaught" in a statement that closed with: "May God protect us all."
It may soon be followed by Hurricane Jose which has formed in its wake.
If Irma makes a landfall in Florida it will be the second powerful storm to hit the US mainland in two weeks after Hurricane Harvey caused widespread devastation.
Streets and supermarket shelves have been left deserted and residents have packed sandbags and barricaded their homes as preparations are made for the storm to strike.
Red alerts have now been issued for Antigua, Barbuda, Anguilla, Montserrat, St Kitts and Nevis, Leeward, St Martin, St Barthelemy, Saba, St Eustatius, Puerto Rico and both the Virgin Islands.
The powerful storm is heading straight towards the stunning Caribbean island of St Martin where Trump owns a multi-million dollar mansion.
The US state of Florida has also declared a state of emergency.
Brit holidaymakers in the Turks and Caicos Islands have spoken of their fears after getting "stranded" because airlines have refused to change their flights.
Theresa Sanderson tweeted: "We are a family stuck here in Turks and Caicos BA have left us to try live through the worst storm ever recorded".
Bahamas Prime Minister Hubert Minnis has ordered a mandatory evacuation of islands in the southern part of the island chain because of Hurricane Irma.
Minnis says the Category 5 storm poses a dire threat to the islands of Mayaguana, Inagua, Crooked Island, Acklins, Long Cay and Ragged Island.
Are you or your family trapped in the Caribbean because of Hurricane Irma? Email [email protected]
People who live on the islands will be flown Wednesday to Nassau on the island of New Providence. Minnis says it will be the largest hurricane evacuation in the history of the Bahamas.
In Puerto Rico, the country's main electricity provider has warned the island could be left without power for up to six months.
The US National Hurricane Centre (NHC) has warned gusts are hitting 190mph over the Atlantic.
British Airways flew an empty plane from London to Antigua to bring back stranded tourists and cancelled two flights.
The full flight of 326 passengers touched down in the UK on Tuesday evening.
More than 100 Virgin Atlantic passengers left five hours earlier from Antigua and made a unplanned stop in St Lucia to join an earlier service back to Gatwick.
Thomas Cook said the storm was ‘very unpredictable’ and that it was monitoring it closely.
Briton Carolyne Coleby, who runs a guest house on the Caribbean island of Montserrat, said locals were desperately trying to secure their houses with boards and remove any potential debris from outside spaces.
She said: "The winds are starting to pick up and the clouds are coming in.
"We had a sunny morning but the storm's definitely on its way - it's going to be spectacularly unpleasant.
"People are now just boarding up and clearing their gardens of any potential flying objects.
"I had a sleepless night. I was very worried - I spent the night on the internet.
"It's going to be the strongest hurricane ever to cross the Atlantic. I've no idea what to expect."
People across the Caribbean boarded up homes and rushed to find last-minute supplies, forming long lines outside supermarkets and gas stations.
Vivian Wheatley, owner of the Anegada Reef Hotel, in Antigua said: "We know it's a very powerful and we know it's going to be very close. Let's hope for the best."
The warnings come as residents in Texas and Louisiana are still reeling from the effects of Hurricane Harvey, which struck as a category four storm, causing heavy rain and destroying thousands of homes.
Irma is predicted to cause rainfall of up to 25cm (10in) and raise water levels by up to 3m (9ft) above normal levels.