A man who holed up in his house on the British Virgin Islands as Hurricane Irma raged outside has spoken of his terrifying experience – and said the Caribbean paradise has become an ‘apocalyptic wasteland’.
Paul Exner, president of expedition firm Modern Geographic Sailing, detailed his desperate fight to survive as 175mph winds battered his island home.
He said he lashed his windows tight with old dock line while he and his wife and young children hid behind a baby changing table ‘as glass and rock flew into the glass eventually breaking pane by pane’.
Paul added: ‘We sang Christmas songs and ate peanut butter sandwiches with Eoin (who is three and a half) and Ava (nine-months-old). My wife Liz is an amazing person. Too much great things to say about Liz, but she is the love of my life.’
Paul Exner had to hook up his phone to a car battery so he could get the message out about the ‘apocalyptic’ scenes on the British Virgin Islands after Hurricane Irma knocked out most communications
He also claimed that the prison on the island of Tortola had been blown open as inmates were kept back by an armed guard until being ‘let go’.
There are also many people who have been left homeless, he said, as well as reports of deaths.
There is currently no way of confirming Paul’s claims, but other residents on the British Virgin Islands have relayed similar accounts.
He added that there is a 6pm-6am curfew in place as communication lines remain down and the island begins the task of recovering from the storm’s damage.
In a video he recorded, Paul appears in the car park of a hotel using a ‘mobile connectivity box’ rigged up to a car battery.
Paul Exner said there is ‘total devastation all around,’ adding: ‘No infrastructure at all. Island will need food and water soon. We can live in our house for another two weeks as a family’. Pictured: A car overturned by the storm
Huge stretches of the British Virgin islands were destroyed in the savage storm. Pictured: A boat overturned by the winds
He explained that there is ‘total devastation all around,’ adding: ‘No infrastructure at all. Island will need food and water soon. We can live in our house for another two weeks as a family.
‘We are gathering spare plywood and and materials to rebuild. No power to house. Hand tools only.
‘Tomorrow we deal with hurricane Jose 90 miles to our north.’
The son of Virgin billionaire Richard Branson, meanwhile, is heading to the devastated British Virgin Islands as he prepares for the ‘harrowing’ experience of seeing his home in ruins.
In an appeal three days after Hurricane Irma smashed into the overseas territory where his father owns an island, Sam Branson said simply: ‘If you have boats, then please get them to the BVI.’
In an appeal three days after Hurricane Irma smashed into the overseas territory where his father owns an island, Sam Branson said simply: ‘If you have boats, then please get them to the BVI’
Sam shows a pile of suitcases and boxes packed with food and clothing that he is planning to take to the islands – one of which, Necker, is owned by his father – today
The islands’ governor, Gus Jaspert, said there had been devastating damage and ‘reports of casualties and fatalities’ following the storm.
He added: ‘I am truly heartbroken by this news. May God bless and protect the territory and our people.’
The hurricane has left apocalyptic scenes behind it in the Caribbean, killing 24 so far, and causing enormous levels of destruction in St Martin, Barbuda and others.
Richard said early this morning that there ‘needs to be an enormous aid effort’ after the island was ‘decimated’, as the British Government’s relief effort begins.
He branded Irma ‘the storm of the century’, but also warned about Category 4 Hurricane Jose, which is following in its wake.
As a consequence of Jose, the entire island of Barbuda – ‘except for a few persons who resisted the call’ – has been evacuated, its prime minister said.
Barbuda, a tiny island of about 1,600 residents, was one of the most severely impacted when the eye of the hurricane passed over it on Wednesday, destroying telecommunication systems and cell towers.
According to Prime Minister Gaston Browne, the storm damaged about 90 percent of the buildings, leaving the nation ‘literally a rubble’.
Richard Branson, discussing the British Virgin Islands, said: ‘The boats are piled up like matchsticks in the harbour. Huge cargo ships were thrown out of the water and into rocks. Resorts have been decimated.
Devastation: A Jeep that has been smashed up by the storm stands idle in front of a flipped boat
Downing Street, meanwhile, said it was waiting for ‘a full picture of intelligence to come through’ of the Caribbean, adding: ‘Three flights departed this morning carrying marines and engineers as part of the MoD task force’
Wreckage: Many boats on the islands have been destroyed by the storm
‘The houses have their roofs blown off; even some churches where people sheltered have lost roofs. But the whole British Virgin Islands community is rallying round.’
In a video posted to his Instagram account, his son Sam explains that he has spent a ‘very long day’ organising to fly back to the BVI with supplies.
He shows a pile of suitcases and boxes packed with food and clothing that he is planning to take to the islands – one of which, Necker, is owned by his father – today.
Sam, a photographer, explains: ‘Going to do my best to help the people on the ground there.’
In an appeal to boat owners, he adds: ‘Stock them with Tarpaulins, food, water, batteries, torches, clothes, water purification tablets and anything else you think might be useful.
‘Going to be harrowing to see my home and so many others beloved place so decimated but will do all I can to get aid to the people that need it most!’
The above map shows Hurricane Irma’s current projected path after it battered islands in the eastern Caribbean
Hurricane Jose is expected to pass near or east of the northeastern Leeward Islands today and is currently threatening several islands that were seriously damaged by Hurricane Irma – including, potentially, the British Virgin Islands
From space: The deadly hurricane is now passing by Cuba’s northern coast on its way to Florida
Paradise lost: This car has been flipped on its side and almost completely destroyed by the devastating winds of Hurricane Irma
On his blog, meanwhile, dad Richard – who spent the storm in his wine cellar while his island was devastated – said he and his team have been doing ‘everything we can to help the community’ in the BVI.
He said: ‘The wonderful team have been going around to all of our team members on Virgin Gorda to check they are safe and well.
‘There is a huge amount of damage to buildings, but fortunately everyone we have seen so far has been ok.
‘There needs to be an enormous aid effort. Please get the word out to anyone who can help further. We have Necker Belle coming in from Barbados with food, water and supplies and we hear others are sending boats.’
Barbuda, a tiny island of about 1,600 residents, was one of the most severely impacted when the eye of the hurricane passed over it on Wednesday, destroying telecommunication systems and cell towers
According to Prime Minister Gaston Browne (left), the storm damaged about 90 percent of the buildings, leaving the nation ‘literally a rubble’
Piles of debris are seen on Barbuda on Thursday, just days after the catastrophic storm destroyed most of the island
The storm killed one person on Barbuda – a two-year-old child – and flattened nearly 95 per cent of all structures
Hurricane Jose is expected to make landfall on the storm-ravaged Barbuda on Saturday, bringing winds of up to 150 mph
He also said that ‘man-made climate change is contributing to increasingly strong hurricanes causing unprecedented damage,’ adding: ‘The whole world should be scrambling to get on top of the climate change issue before it is too late – for this generation, let alone the generations to come.’
Downing Street, meanwhile, said it was waiting for ‘a full picture of intelligence to come through’ of the Caribbean, adding: ‘Three flights departed [yesterday] morning carrying marines and engineers as part of the MoD task force.’
A spokeswoman added: ‘[Today], another C17 will leave carrying two Puma helicopters. And the RFA Mounts Bay ship is due to arrive in the British Virgin Islands … bringing aid and helicopters to help deliver supplies.’
The Government explained that the Department for International Development’s disaster response centre was sending out supplies of aid to be loaded on to HMS Ocean, which has been diverted from the Mediterranean to head for the Caribbean to help with the disaster relief efforts.
Hurricane Irma smashed into the British Virgin Islands as a Category 5 storm before weakening to a Category 4 storm. It has now returned to a Category 5 storm as it heads to the USA via Cuba
Aftermath: The hurricane has so far killed at least 24 people across the Caribbean and laid waste to vast areas
Scenes of catastrophe have emerged in the aftermath of the deadly storm
The governor of the British Virgin Islands, Gus Jaspert, said there had been devastating damage and ‘reports of casualties and fatalities’ following the storm
Wipeout: Hundreds of vessels have been put out of commission by Irma, which is one of the most powerful storms to ever hit the Atlantic
The aid heading for HMS Ocean includes 10,000 buckets and 5,000 solar lanterns, the spokeswoman said.
One resident on the islands said his home has been absolutely destroyed – and with it most of his possessions.
Dan Perkins told MailOnline he was not on the islands when the storm hit, but has been told that about the damage done to his property.
He said: ‘My house started at the top of the hill and ended up at the bottom of it, so I’m told.
‘I now own pretty much what I took with me in my suitcase. I’m sure it will sink in soon, but right now we have to focus on the most important things – people who are missing and hurt.’
He added: ‘It’s just stuff at the end of the day.’