Branson Shares Pics From 'Unforgiving' Irma

Richard Branson and his staff are OK after Hurricane Irma, but much of the Caribbean is not. Fortune reports on Branson's most recent blog post, titled "Recovering From Hurricane Irma," which he notes he penned from Puerto Rico, not from the private island where he rode out the storm. "I have traveled [here] in order to further mobilize aid efforts and rebuilding plans for the British Virgin Islands and wider Caribbean," he writes, adding that most communications systems in the BVI are down after the storm. He also shares photos documenting the destruction, showing downed palm trees and power lines and decimated structures.

But he noted on Twitter that while damage to his own Necker Island was "huge," that's not what he wants to focus on. "BVI #Irma story is not about Necker - about 1000s of people who've lost homes & livelihoods," he tweeted Sunday evening. He says the "ferocious and unforgiving" storm caused devastation in the BVI that will now require an "enormous amount" of outside help to remedy; a pop-up box on the blog allows people to donate toward the effort to "rebuild homes and infrastructure and restore power, clean water, and food supplies." In regard to "worrying reports of civil unrest" in the hardest-hit places, Branson implores everyone to "stay safe, remain calm, and support each other. Help is on its way." (More Hurricane Irma stories.)