A Britain's Got Talent winner survived Hurricane Irma by barricading himself inside a hotel bathroom as the killer storm devastated a Caribbean island, leaving at least eight dead.
Michael Auger and a friend put a mattress against the door and hid under a bed sheet as the Category 5 monster wiped out buildings on Saint Martin with 180mph winds.
The pair sought refuge in the windowless room for more than eight hours after a roof tile smashed into their hotel room's sliding glass door.
In the aftermath, gun-wielding looters robbed hotel guests as Michael, a member of the musical theatre group Collabro, and his friends were stranded for days without electricity or running water.
They finally managed to make it off the island but are still stuck in the Caribbean and likely won't return home to the UK for another three or four days.
Michael, who won BGT in 2014, and his friend were on holiday in Anguilla and were due to return home last Monday, but they missed their flight from Saint Martin due to ferry delays.
Every other flight off the idyllic island was booked solid, so they were forced to ride out Irma in a hotel at Simpson Bay on the Dutch side of the island on Wednesday.
Michael said: "They tried to give us a secure room but a tile from the roof of a neighbouring building cracked our sliding glass door and we had to barricade ourselves in the bathroom for eight hours.
HURRICANE IRMA RIPS A ROOF FROM A BUILDING IN BRICKELL, FLORIDA
"The winds started getting really loud and it was only about 30 to 40 mph, but we knew it was going to get worse because the winds were supposed to reach 180mph.
"We were really scared when the winds picked up because things were flying through the air and cars were being turned over outside."
Michael and his friend put a mattress against the bathroom door and hunkered down on the floor with a pile of pillows.
He said: "We've never experienced this. Some of the locals were quite relaxed beforehand but afterwards they said it was the worst they'd ever had."
The pair were met by total chaos once the worst of the storm had passed and it was finally safe to go outside.
Michael said: "I had to push debris to even get the door open. There was half a palm tree on the balcony, there were cars overturned, there were cars on fire."
Buildings had been torn apart and people were in the streets surveying the damage.
Michael was stuck at the hotel for three days without electricity, running water or a working toilet.
He said: "On Friday, the looting started. People were going around with guns and knives, from door to door, trying to get supplies off people, until the police came."
On Saturday, Michael and his friend went to the airport to find a way out and managed to get a spot on the last of five US military planes which had arrived to rescue US citizens.
He said: "About 40 of us waited at the airport and got on the final plane to Puerto Rico. I couldn't get my bags on the flight with me, just everything I could carry.
"It didn't matter because everything was replaceable."
Michael landed in Puerto Rico, which was also badly hit by Irma, and is staying at a hotel until he can fly out on Wednesday or Thursday.
His family alerted the British Government about his situation, but he said no-one has been in contact with him.
He said he's thankful to be out of Saint Martin, but his thoughts are with the locals who have lost their homes and have limited supplies.
Michael said: "I'm so grateful for the US military taking us. I just worry so much about the people that are still there.
"When I get back to London I'm going to try and do everything I can to raise money for people who have been affected. You can't imagine what they are still going through.
"Until you've lived it, you can't appreciate how severe it is. These people are still fighting for their lives. They have no homes to go to."
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