They have just as much right to name the storms and hurricanes as we do in the United States. That is why some of the names sound a little funny to us. We do know that strong vertical and horizontal currents are set up in the ocean in response to the strong winds. We know that these currents can move sunken boats on the ocean bottom and damage coral reefs. I remember seeing fish washed up well inland in Miami after Hurricane Andrew made landfall.
Hurricanes create a storm surge, which is sometimes incorrectly referred to as a tidal wave.
That term is often used to explain damage to the shore, and we are not sure what it means or how it occurs. A storm surge is a large dome of water often 50 to 100 miles wide that sweeps across the coastline near where a hurricane makes landfall. The surge of high water topped by waves is devastating. The stronger the hurricane and the shallower the offshore water, the higher the surge will be. Along the immediate coast, storm surge is the greatest threat to life and property.