Cyclone Ivan

If you asked me to take a map of Madagascar and point to the place I used to live, I'd have trouble getting any closer than the orange dot on this map representing the latest location of a massive tropical cyclone. In 2004, when I was living there, we had a cyclone that missed us by 100 km or so and it was a pretty frightening experience. Most houses are made of relatively flimsy local materials. The corrugated metal roofs on the nicer buildings are only held in place by a few nails, and when they blow off they basically become giant flying blades. The number of brick buildings is nowhere near enough to accommodate the local population. Flooding is also a serious problem, as the town is located on the coast at the mouth of a big river. What I really remember, though, is the noise. It was just hour after hour of this unrelenting groaning sound that was loud enough to make communication difficult and sleep impossible.