Branson tells of Necker island devastation
Sir Richard Branson has shared photographs and video showing the devastation caused by Hurricane Irma on his private island Necker.
The billionaire businessman was pictured in front of torn-down buildings and uprooted trees.
In a blog post, the Virgin founder wrote: “Much of the buildings and vegetation on Necker has been destroyed or badly damaged.
“We felt the full force of the strongest hurricane ever in the Atlantic Ocean. But we are very fortunate to have a strong cellar built into Necker’s Great House and were very lucky all of our teams who stayed on [the] island during the storm are safe and well.
“This story is about the tens of thousands of people who have lost their homes and their livelihoods.” Sir Richard was writing from Puerto Rico, where he said he is mobilising aid efforts and rebuilding plans for the British Virgin Islands (BVI) and the wider Caribbean.
He said he has spent the past two days visiting staff who live on Virgin Gorda and “as many people as possible” to distribute aid, water and supplies.
“We have seen first-hand just how ferocious and unforgiving this storm was,” he added.
The entrepreneur said the UK government has a “massive role to play in the recovery of its territories” through short-term aid and long-term infrastructure spending. He compared the situation to the US giving funding to western Europe for rebuilding after the Second World War, calling for a “Disaster Recovery Marshall Plan”.