Oh, Richard.

It hasn’t even been two weeks since Hurricane Harvey made landfall, and already another hurricane has gone and made history.

Coming up from the south-east, Hurricane Irma – “the strongest Atlantic hurricane ever” – has already caused widespread destruction in the Caribbean, reports The Telegraph.

Of course, Sir Richard Branson’s island, Necker, was just one of the many islands directly in Irma’s path. While many buildings on it were destroyed, it was reported that all humans were okay as they had “hunkered down in the wine cellar”:

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.

The red indicator is where Necker Island is situated in relation to the rest of the British Virgin Islands:

Yup, Branson and his crew decided to remain on the private island and hid in the wine cellar – although Branson doubted there would be much wine left when the storm subsides.

Har har har. I’m sure the Chocolate Block would be the first to go.

Branson’s son, Sam, was sharing information on Instagram:

“Glad to say that all humans on Necker are ok 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! 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.”

He also shared some messages of support for the wider British Island’s family along with images of the destruction so far:

And here’s just a peak at some real-life footage of the storm:

Just devastating to see. Thought are with all of my friends, family and neighbours in the BVI who are inside Irma right now. #hurricaneirma #bvi

A post shared by Sam Branson (@bransonsam) on Sep 6, 2017 at 8:10am PDT

The night before the storm was scheduled to make landfall on Necker Island, Branson shared his thoughts along with some photographs on Virgin’s website:

Looks kinda cozy, doesn’t it? Well, according to Branson, it’s been a while:

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.

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.

Let’s just hope that the two hurricanes following Irma, namely Katia and Jose, don’t cause as much destruction. I don’t think the Caribbean needs any more.

[source:thetelegraph&virgin]