Most residents in the south-western coastal islands are still reeling from the horrific suffering caused by Sidr, the super-cyclone that ravaged the southern and coastal districts of the country in mid-November. Life has come almost to a standstill for the time being in the affected areas. Even four months after the cyclone they are haunted by memories of the death and drowning of their children, brothers, sisters or parents in front of their very eyes. They still have vivid memories of searching for the corpses of near and dear ones and the need to bury them with or without following the religious rituals. They are still struggling to cope with the situation but are dogged by frustration. An overcast sky or squally winds at any time of the day still fills the residents, who survived the devastation of the cyclone on November 15, 2008, with sheer terror. The residents share their agonising memories, narrating the destruction caused by the winds that blew at 240 kilometres per hour, and reminiscing how they were lucky enough to survive, how their relatives died or how someone found their parents or children drowned in the water or smashed by the wreckage of the storm. Dread and traumatic disorder is high and widespread among the surviving women and children, and a psychiatric consultant said the cyclone's destructiveness may have long-term psychological effects. Unusual behaviour was noticed among the children. They frequently fall sick or get up crying in the dead of night, perhaps because they dream of the horrifying experiences, according to a number of mothers living in an island in Barguna district. They said many children prefer to stay with their relatives in the mainland instead of staying with their parents on the island.