By Amit Roy
STORM Jorge, which was named as such by the Spanish Met Office, has followed on from Ciara and Dennis.
Jorge is Spanish for George. I know this from being in Buenos Aires for months, covering the Falklands War, when Jorge became my translator and best friend.
I met him when I did a story on his sister, who married an English diplomat posted to Argentina in a modern version of Romeo and Juliet. Far from being stormy, Jorge was the most affable character, full of laughter and fun, that I met in Argentina.
He came with me to the historic Casa Rosada when I interviewed president Raul Alfonsin after the fall of the military junta.
Last Sunday (1), I found an old number for Jorge, rang him- GMT is three hours ahead of Buenos Aires- and recognised his voice as soon as he answered. The years fell away as we had a long chat.
“It’s very funny,” he laughed, when I told him about the name, Storm Jorge. “I had a friend in the Caribbean called Marilyn. When it was hit by Hurricane Marilyn (in 1995), she put up a sign on her fridge, saying, ‘Marilyn is coming.’”
Sunder Katwala
