Billionaire's Wine Cellar Keeps Him Safe Amid Irma

'Very, very fortunately it held firm,' writes Richard Branson from Caribbean
By Newser Editors,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 7, 2017 12:04 PM CDT
Wine Cellar Holds: Billionaire Branson OK After Irma
Virgin Group founder Richard Branson.   (AP Photo/Michael Noble Jr.)

He promised to ride out Hurricane Irma on his private island in the Caribbean, and billionaire Richard Branson did just that. In a blog post, Branson said he and his crew made it through the night safely on Necker Island, his 74-acre retreat in the British Virgin Islands. "We took shelter from the strongest hurricane ever inside the concrete cellar on Necker and very, very fortunately it held firm," he wrote. However, he added that the Category 5 Irma was unlike any storm he'd ever encountered. "Necker and the whole area have been completely and utterly devastated," he wrote, urging anyone in its path to seek shelter.

Earlier, Branson tweeted an image of his team before it hunkered down in the wine cellar. "I haven't had a sleepover quite like this since I was a kid," he wrote. "Wonderful team here on Necker all well." Branson's son, Sam, confirmed Thursday that everybody was OK, notes USA Today. "Glad to say that all humans on Necker are ok although a lot of buildings destroyed," he wrote on Instagram. "Very concerned for our friends and everyone on the neighboring islands and people in its path." (More Richard Branson stories.)

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