Richard Branson to ride out Hurricane Irma on his private island

Richard Branson Plans To Ride Out Hurricane Irma On His Private Island

Richard Branson says he will be hunkering down in the wine cellar of his private island home located in the British Virgin Islands as Category 5 Hurricane Irma approaches.

The founder of Virgin Group, Branson wrote in a blog on the Virgin website Wednesday that "We are expecting to get the full force of the hurricane in around five hours' time, when we will retreat to a concrete wine cellar under the Great House."

Irma, sporting winds of 185 mph, is expected to hit the island around 1 p.m. ET on Wednesday.

Branson wrote that he has a group of young people with him at the home.

“The atmosphere is eerie but beautiful. Everyone is willing the eye of the storm to veer away from the BVI in these last few hours. As I wrote yesterday, our main concern is safety, for everyone here and for all the people in the BVI and in the path of the hurricane,” Branson wrote.