A mother has spoken of how she and her family survived Hurricane Irma by getting adults to lie on top of young children to protect them.
Sasha Joyce said her, her father, her husband Brendan and their children sheltered in a house as the storm tore across the island of Tortola in the British Virgin Islands.
She said they are are ‘lucky to be alive’ after experiencing the full force of the devastating storm that has killed at least 24 people.
The adults lay on top of the children, aged two and four, to protect them as the winds battered the house.
When they emerged, the other rooms had been swept away, with only the room they had sheltered in surviving.
Sasha Joyce said her, her father, her husband Brendan and their children sheltered in a house as the storm tore across the island of Tortola in the British Virgin Islands. Pictured: Brendan and Sasha Joyce with their children Keiran and Aiden
Sasha’s cousin Clare Parker, who lives in London, said: ‘My aunt and uncle have lived in the British Virgin Islands for nearly 50 years and have survived many many hurricanes, but they realised that this was a hugely significant one and took all the precautions, they shuttered up and took shelter in a back bedroom that’s the most secure.
‘They were all in that room with the adults lying on top of the small children.
‘When they came out, the eye wall of the tornado had ripped the concrete house apart.
‘They walked out of there alive, which is miraculous and we are so grateful for. They are feeling lucky to be alive.’
The death toll from Irma has risen to 24, with four people believed to have died on the British Virgin Islands, it is reported
Irma has torn a destructive trail through several British territories, with the British Virgin Islands (pictured) said to have born the brunt of the damage
The governor of the British Virgin Islands, Gus Jaspert, said there had been devastating damage and ‘reports of casualties and fatalities’ following the storm
Scenes of catastrophe have emerged in the aftermath of the deadly storm
She said more aid is vital to help the people on the islands, with food and generators among the things needed.
Irma has torn a destructive trail through several British territories, with the British Virgin Islands said to have born the brunt of the damage.
The death toll from Irma has risen to 24, with four people believed to have died on the British Virgin Islands, it is reported.
Mr Joyce, 44, from Glasgow, has lived on the island for more than 10 years and works as a marina manager at Nanny Cay.
The future: Where Irma is headed after having battered the eastern Caribbean
Paradise lost: This car has been flipped on its side and almost completely destroyed by the devastating winds of Hurricane Irma
Here comes the cavalry: Members of 24 Commando Royal Engineers disembark with kit and supplies from a RAF C17 in response to Hurricane Irma on British Virgin Islands
His wife Sasha, 34, is from the island and his children Keiran, four, and Aiden, two, were born there.
His sister Frances Joyce, from Glasgow, has spoken to him and said he is devastated by what has happened and worried for the future.
Relief: Virgin billionaire Richard Branson is attempting to co-ordinate aid delivery after surviving the storm by hiding out in his Necker Island wine cellar
She said: ‘The first time he phoned, he phoned me in tears and said ‘we’re alive, there’s nothing else’.
‘He is really worried about food and shelter, and worried about how it’s going to pan out.
‘They have two little boys as well, so they are trying to keep them calm.
‘Back in Scotland we’re devastated as a family, we feel so helpless as we can’t do anything for them, they’re away over there. It’s amazing that they are alive.’
Richard Branson has set up a donation page to help those affected.
Prime Minister Theresa May has sought to give assurances to the British territories that the Government’s support would include a focus on long-term rebuilding.
Some already-ravaged areas are preparing for further possible damage as Hurricane Jose, which has been upgraded to category four, travels through the Atlantic.