Pagasa retires '˜Pablo' from list of names for storms

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InterAksyon.com
The online news portal of TV5

MANILA - The state weather bureau struck 'Pablo' off the list of names used for storms after the typhoon - the strongest to hit Mindanao in 40 years - broke the threshold for deaths arising from tropical cyclones.

As the death toll from Typhoon 'Pablo' reached more than 450, the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) announced that it will no longer include 'Pablo' in its revised list.

Rene Paciente, Pagasa forecaster, told News 5 that the agency is striking off ‘Pablo’ after it satisfied one of the conditions for retirement: a death toll reaching at least 300.

The other qualification is when a cyclone’s damage reaches a billion pesos.

In 2009, tropical storm 'Ondoy' dumped a month’s worth of rain in just six hours over Metro Manila and adjacent areas, killing 340 people and making the typhoon a benchmark for storms that followed. ‘Odette’ has since replaced 'Ondoy' in the list that would be used next year.

Tropical storm ‘Sendong’, which created the path that 'Pablo' followed, was the deadliest storm in 2011, wiping out river communities in Cagayan de Oro and Iligan. The death toll from 'Sendong' hit nearly 1,500, earning it a retirement.  ‘Sarah’ has since replaced 'Sendong' in list that will be used in 2015.

Pagasa has yet to announce the replacement for ‘Pablo’ in the list of names that will be used in 2016.

 

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