Home Lifestyle NewsSir Richard Branson braves out Hurricane Irma on Necker Island

Sir Richard Branson braves out Hurricane Irma on Necker Island

by
6th Sep 17 1:01 pm

185mph winds and gusts of 200mph

Sir Richard Branson, 67 will be staying on Necker Island, despite hurricane Irma being the most powerful Atlantic Ocean hurricane ever to hit landfall in the Caribbean.

Sir Richard said: โ€œIt may sound strange, but I consider hurricanes one of the wonders of the natural world. Two powerful hurricanes, Earl and Otto, hit the BVI in 2010 and caused extensive damage.

โ€œI beheld nature at its most ferocious. 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.โ€

The National Weather Service said that eye of hurricane Irma hit Barbuda at 1:47am and the US National Hurricane Centre said that winds are nearing 185mph and it is maintaining a category five in strength.

The director of news at ABS TV, Garfield Burford said: โ€œWe are hunkered down and it is very windyโ€ฆ the wind is a major threat.

โ€œSo far, some roofs have been blown off.โ€

He added: โ€œItโ€™s very scary โ€ฆ most of the islands are dark so itโ€™s very, very frightening.โ€

The French weather office has said that the storm is now making its way to the Islands of St. Barts and St. Martin, low-lying areas will suffer severe flooding.

Sir Richard wrote in a blog on the Virgin website that he had built โ€œreally strong buildings to handle extreme weather pretty well, including hurrican blinds.โ€

However, as Hurricane Irma is the most powerful hurricane ever to hit landfall he said that โ€œalmost nothing can withstand it.โ€

โ€œFortunately, most of them [hurricaneโ€™s] 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.โ€

Sir Richards main concern is with the locals and the wildlife across the British Virgin Islands.

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