Branson said his whole staff slept together in two rooms, but the Virgin boss was happy to weather 'possibly the strongest storm ever' with a 'great group of young people'. Photo: Virgin
Branson said his whole staff slept together in two rooms, but the Virgin boss was happy to weather 'possibly the strongest storm ever' with a 'great group of young people'. Photo: Virgin
By Iain Burns
Richard Branson retreated to his concrete wine cellar as his most powerful hurricane ever recorded in the Atlantic circled directly over his Necker Island complex on Wednesday local time (Thursday NZ time).
And as of 1pm local time, his home on Necker Island was in directly in the eye of Hurricane Irma and the storm continued to batter the area for several hours.
The billionaire Virgin boss had already announced he wouldn't not leave his home on the British Virgin Islands despite Hurricane Irma - which is the size of France - threatening "potentially catastrophic" as it lashes the Caribbean with 185mph winds, the Daily Mail reported.
Branson said his whole staff slept together in two rooms, but the Virgin boss was happy to weather 'possibly the strongest storm ever' with a 'great group of young people'. Photo: Virgin
Speaking of his experience on Tuesday night (Wednesday night NZ time), Branson - who is staying with an entire team of staff on the island - said the "howling wind and rain" battered his home and created an "eerie but beautiful" atmosphere.
He wrote on his blog today: "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."
He added: "The strength of this hurricane is unheard of.
British billionaire Richard Branson enjoys a game of Perudo with staff as Hurricane Irma speeds towards his Necker Island home. Photo: Richard Branson/Virgin
"Everyone is willing the eye of the storm to veer away from the BVI [British Virgin Islands] in these last few hours.
"As I wrote yesterday, our main concern is safety, for everyone here and for all the people in the BVI and in the path of the hurricane.
"All of us slept together in two rooms. I haven't had a sleepover quite like it since I was a kid."
He said that, despite worries about the storm's severity, he considers it a "privilege" to weather "possibly the strongest storm ever" with a "great group of young people".
He said: "We were listening to the parrots in their boxes in the next room chattering away. Watching the tortoises congregating together, as if they sense what is coming our way."
It is unclear what exactly Branson did with the collection of exotic animals Necker Island is home to, but it is believed they are safe.
The island is home to a variety of animals, including more than 80 lemurs, hundreds of flamingos, red foot tortoises, exotic birds and almost extinct Anegada iguanas.
Branson's staff cares for the animals throughout the year, but it is unknown where they took shelter during the storm.
An official from Necker told TMZ, "The animals are safe", without elaborating.
Branson is not the only notable figure with something to lose in the storm - a host of celebrities could see their homes wrecked by Hurricane Irma as it smashes into the Caribbean.
Mass evacuations are set to take place in the Florida Keys and the Caribbean after the hurricane - the size of France - was declared the most powerful storm ever recorded in the Atlantic Ocean with 185mph winds.
On Wednesday morning local time, the "potentially catastrophic" hurricane slammed into Barbuda just hours after officials warned people to seek protection from Irma's "onslaught" in a statement that closed with: "May God protect us all."
Homes belonging to the likes of Johnny Depp, David Copperfield, Oprah Winfrey, Mick Jagger and even President Donald Trump could also be hit.
The eye of potentially catastrophic category 5 Hurricane Irma is closing in on the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, the US National Hurricane Center said in its latest advisory on Wednesday.
The US National Weather Service said Puerto Rico had not seen a hurricane of Irma's magnitude since Hurricane San Felipe in 1928, which killed a total of 2,748 people in Guadeloupe, Puerto Rico and Florida.
"We have to prepare for the worst," Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello said. "If we don't, it could be devastating."
Puerto Rico's public power company has cut back on staff and maintenance amid a deep economic crisis and the agency's director warned that some areas could be without power from four to six months because the infrastructure has already deteriorated so badly.
Outages were reported in some neighborhoods well ahead of the storm, with more than 285,000 homes without power and nearly 4,500 people without water by mid-afternoon Wednesday.
Nearly 1,000 people were in shelters along with more than 100 pets.
Irma will pass near or just north of the coast of the Dominican Republic Thursday, and be near the Turks and Caicos and southeastern Bahamas late Thursday, it added.
"Preparations should be rushed to completion in the hurricane warning area," the NHC said.
President Trump's five-acre le Château des Palmiers estate on the French island of St Martin is one of many homes at risk from the hurricane.
Trump is thought to value the property at about $50 million but it has recently been listed for $16.9 million.
The 11-bedroom mansion features a tennis court and golden curtains.
Johnny Depp's 45-acre private island in the Bahamas, Little Hall's Pond Cay, could be at serious risk as authorities announce the beginning of evacuations.
He bought the island in 2004 for close to $3.6million.
Fellow actor and Bahamas island owner Eddie Murphy, meanwhile, could see his Rooster Cay home damaged.
Illusionist David Copperfield also owns Musha Cay in the Bahamas and could be fearing Irma's power.
Mick Jagger is believed to own property on Mustique - an island in St Vincent and the Grenadines - while Oprah Winfrey is understood to have a home on Antigua.
Bruce Willis and Keith Richards, meanwhile, have property on Parrot Cay in Turks and Caicos.
And Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich's $50million pad on St Barts - in Guadeloupe - is also in the hurricane's path.
The monster hurricane, the most powerful on the five-level Saffir-Simpson scale, is packing maximum sustained winds of 185 miles per hour.
This is only the second time since satellites started tracking storms about 40 years ago that one maintained 185 mph winds for more than 24 hours, said Colorado State University meteorology professor Phil Klotzbach.
The other was the massive killer typhoon Haiyan that killed more than 6,000 people in the Philippines in 2013.
"This thing is a buzzsaw; I'm glad Floridians are taking it very seriously," Klotzbach said.
"This is going to be a bad storm. I don't see any way out of it."
Schools and government offices in the French overseas territory have been ordered shut, while hospitals are stocking up on medicines, food and drinking water.
The regional authority for Guadeloupe and neighboring islands said in a statement on Wednesday that the fire station in Saint Barthelemy is under 1 meter (more than 3 feet) of water and no rescue vehicles can move.
It said the government headquarters Saint Martin is partially destroyed and the island is in a total blackout.
Electricity is also partially down on the larger island of Guadeloupe, where the threat receded despite danger of heavy flooding.
France sent emergency food and water rations to the French islands of Saint Martin and Saint Barthelemy, where Irma ripped off roofs and knocked out all electricity.
Dutch marines who flew to three Dutch islands hammered by Irma reported extensive damage but no deaths or injuries.
While France received no immediate reports of casualties, the minister for French overseas territories, Annick Girardin, said: "We have a lot to fear for a certain number of our compatriots who unfortunately didn't want to listen to the protection measures and go to more secure sites ... We're preparing for the worst."
Bahamas Prime Minister Hubert Minnis said his government was evacuating six islands because authorities would not be able to help anyone caught in the "potentially catastrophic" wind, flooding and storm surge.
People there would be flown to Nassau in what he called the largest storm evacuation in the country's history.
The northern parts of the Dominican Republic and Haiti could see 10 inches (25 centimeters) of rain, with as much as 20 inches (50 centimeters) in the southeast Bahamas and Turks and Caicos.
The website cruisecritic.com said that 28 cruises had been canceled, shortened or had their itineraries changed as a result of the hurricane.
In addition to Irma, Tropical Storm Jose has now formed behind it in the open Atlantic far from land.
Jose is the 10th tropical storm of the season. It has maximum sustained winds of 40 mph and is about 1505 miles east of the Lesser Antilles.
Also Wednesday, a new tropical storm formed in the Gulf of Mexico off Mexico's coast.
Tropical Storm Katia had maximum sustained winds of 45 mph (75 kph) by the early afternoon and the hurricane center said it could become a hurricane before it approaches the coast of Veracruz state. Katia was located about 175 miles (280 kms) north of the city of Veracruz.
President Donald Trump this week approved an emergency declaration for the US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.
That means that the Federal Emergency Management Agency and other agencies can remove debris and give other services that will largely be paid for by the US government.
EPA officials said their biggest concerns were oil spills and power disruptions to water supply systems.
"No matter what precautions we take, the coastal flooding will impact oil tanks," said Catherine McCabe, a regional administrator.
Another concern is the 20 Superfund sites in Puerto Rico and the three in the U.S. Virgin islands, given that most are near the coast, she said.
She said EPA officials in New Jersey are on standby to fly down after the hurricane passes through.
State maintenance worker Juan Tosado said he was without power for three months after Hurricane Hugo killed dozens of people in Puerto Rico in 1989.
"I expect the same from this storm," he said. "It's going to be bad."
The storm is also is expected to "cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions."
Explaining his reasoning for staying on Necker yesterday, Branson fully acknowledged the danger of Hurricane Irma, stressing that the "devastation" they can cause "cannot be overstated", but said he will stay on his island regardless.
He wrote in a blog post: "On Necker Island we have constructed really strong buildings (with hurricane blinds) that should be able to handle extreme weather pretty well, though with a Category 5 hurricane almost nothing can withstand it.
"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.
"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."
His main concern, he added, was for the locals on the British Virgin Islands - as well as the island's fauna.
He explained: "I am also concerned for the wonderful wildlife of the BVI, not least on Necker and Moskito, where many flamingos, lemurs, scarlet ibis and other stunning species live.
"Hopefully all people and animals can keep out of harm's way in the coming days."
Hurricanes, he said, are "one of the wonders of the natural world", adding: "The power of the sea breaking over the cliff tops, the eerie hush when you are in the eye of the hurricane and then the roar of the winds, the lightning and the rain."
And the businessman also took the opportunity to discuss the need to support the Paris agreement on clean energy.
He said: "Man-made climate change is a key factor in the increasing intensity of these hurricanes, as many experts have suggested.
"The damage caused by Harvey all over Texas is a tragic and costly reminder that our climate is changing and that we are not doing enough to tackle this enormous challenge."
Irma comes after of Hurricane Harvey devastated parts of Texas and Louisiana late last month.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Irma's winds would fluctuate, but the storm would likely remain at Category 4 or 5 for the next day or two as it roared past Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Cuba, the Turks & Caicos and parts of the Bahamas.
By early Sunday, Irma is expected to hit Florida, where Gov Rick Scott said he planned to activate 7,000 National Guard members by Friday and warned that Irma is "bigger, faster and stronger" than Hurricane Andrew.
Andrew pummeled south Florida 25 years ago and wiped out entire neighborhoods with ferocious winds. Trump also declared an emergency in Florida and authorities in the Bahamas said they would evacuate six southern islands.
Scott declared the state of emergency for all 67 counties in the state on Monday after some forecasts showed the powerful storm could be headed for the East Coast.
"Hurricane Irma is a major and life-threatening storm and Florida must be prepared. I have continued to be briefed by the Florida Division of Emergency Management on Hurricane Irma and current forecast models have Florida in Irma's path - potentially impacting millions of Floridians," Scott said.
"Today, given these forecasts and the intensity of this storm, I have declared a state of emergency for every county in Florida to make certain that state, federal and local governments are able to work together and make sure resources are dispersed to local communities as we get prepared for this storm."
Floridians took advantage of the Labor Day holiday to empty many store shelves of drinking water and other supplies in advance of Irma.
By mid-day Monday, many grocery stores across South Florida had been emptied of bottled water and stores were hoping to restock beginning Tuesday morning.
Experts now worry that Irma could rake the entire Florida east coast from Miami to Jacksonville and then head into Savannah, Georgia and the Carolinas, striking highly populated and developed areas.
"This could easily be the most costly storm in U.S. history, which is saying a lot considering what just happens two weeks ago," said University of Miami hurricane researcher Brian McNoldy.
The mayor of Miami-Dade County said people should be prepared to evacuate Miami Beach and most coastal areas as soon as Wednesday evening. He activated the emergency operation center and urged residents to have three days' worth of food and water.
The State Department authorized voluntary evacuation of U.S. diplomats and their families from the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Cuba, where the storm was expected to arrive by Friday.
Warm water is fuel for hurricanes and Irma was moving over water that was 1.8 degrees (1 degree Celsius) warmer than normal.
Four other storms have had winds as strong in the overall Atlantic region, but they were in the Caribbean Sea or the Gulf of Mexico, which usually have warmer waters. Hurricane Allen hit 190 mph in 1980, while 2005's Wilma, 1988's Gilbert and a 1935 great Florida Keys storm all had 185 mph winds.
Both Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands expected four inches to eight inches of rain and winds of 40-50 mph with gusts of up to 60 mph.
"This is not an opportunity to go outside and try to have fun with a hurricane," U.S. Virgin Islands Gov. Kenneth Mapp warned. "It's not time to get on a surfboard."
Vivian Wheatley, proprietor of the Anegada Reef Hotel, planned to stay behind. She said she would stay in one of the hotel rooms and take advantage of the generator since there were no guests.
"We know it's a very powerful (storm), and we know it's going to be very close," she said. "Let's hope for the best."
