by Chris Graham from The Telegraph, September 7, 2017
Sir Richard Branson’s son said they had survived Hurricane Irma as they hunkered down in the wine cellar on Necker island but it had destroyed a lot of the buildings.
The British billionaire and adventurer decided to stay put on his private Caribbean island, despite it being directly in the path of the strongest Atlantic hurricane ever.
The businessman had said he planned to hide in his wine cellar - and doubted there would be much wine left when the storm subsides.
“Glad to say that all humans on Necker are ok although a lot of buildings destroyed,” his son Sam wrote on Instagram.
“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! Homes can be rebuilt but lives can't. Nature warning us again of the impact of #climatechange. We must all do more to combat this.”
Hurricane Irma makes landfall in the Caribbean, in pictures
Writing about the storm as it bore down on the island, Sir Richard said they had “experienced a night of howling wind and rain”.
“The atmosphere is eerie but beautiful,” he wrote in his blog from the British Virgin island.
“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.”
Saying they were planning to retreat to the wine cellar under the Great House, he added: “Knowing our wonderful team as I do, I suspect there will be little wine left in the cellar when we all emerge.”
Necker, which has a large main house and several small Balinese-style houses that can accommodate about 34 people in total, is rented to private groups for $80,000 a night, according to its website. The island has more than 100 staff and two infinity pools.
This article was written by Chris Graham from The Telegraph and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to [email protected].
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