British entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson, the billionaire founder of the Virgin Group who said he would ride out Hurricane Irma from his 74-acre private island in the Caribbean, has finally emerged from his fortified wine cellar unscathed.
“All of the team who stayed on Necker and Moskito during the hurricane are safe and well,” Branson said in a blog post Thursday, which he explained was transcribed with a satellite phone after the storm brought down all lines of communication.
“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 [British Virgin Islands], Caribbean and beyond,” he said.Â
Branson had said earlier his compound was built with reinforced hurricane blinds designed to withstand high winds. But that wasn’t the case for the surrounding area or the rest of Necker Island, his property for over 40 years. “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,” he said. “Outside of the bunker, bathroom and bedroom doors and windows have flown 40 feet away.”
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