When the Cyclone Strikes Continue to listen to your radio, keep calm and stay inside. Take shelter in  a  strong section of the building, perhaps a bathroom. Have mattresses and blankets ready to help protect you and your family. Beware of the calm "eye" of the cyclone. The "eye" is the centre of the cyclone and the point where the pressure is the lowest. It is usually 20 to 40 km across, but can be up to 100km. The area immediately surrounding the "eye" is called the "wall", a dense ring of cloud reaching upwards of 15km high, and marks the cyclone’s strongest winds and heaviest rainfall. The "eye" can take anytime from a few minutes to a few hours to pass. In the "eye" the weather is calm, however, after it crosses you will face the full force of the cyclone a second time but from the opposite direction.