B backs up the World Bank on traditional buildings.
In our region frequented by the storms (Philippines), there are many accounts of ONLY traditional bahay kubo (a hut made of the bamboo and palm fronds) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nipa_hut surviving the most violent of storms.
And in other news, a correspondent confirms Luigi’s recollection that there is a coconut specifically for rope-making.
Niu Kafa … in Samoa. Kafa means rope.