As masses of people across the Caribbean huddled in shelters or saw their roofs peeled off above them, there was only one thing for Richard Branson to do as Hurricane Irma moved in — head for the wine cellar. The boss of the Virgin empire was holed up on the private island of Necker, a 74-acre estate in the British Virgin Islands, where the storm was hitting last night with potentially deadly force. “We have just experienced a night of howling wind and rain as Hurricane Irma edges ever closer towards us on Necker and the British Virgin Islands . The strength of this hurricane is unheard of,” he said on his blog. The atmosphere of anticipation ahead of Irma’s arrival was “eerie…

Source: The Times September 06, 2017 23:03 UTC