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Three new names have been adopted in 2011 for tropical cyclones in the western North Pacific and the South China Sea. They are Atsani, Champi and In-fa, replacing Morakot, Ketsana and Parma respectively. The meanings of the new tropical cyclone names and the contributing countries or regions are given in the Annex.
The new names were endorsed by the Typhoon Committee, under the joint auspices of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific and the World Meteorological Organization, at its 43rd Session a few months ago.
According to the convention of the Typhoon Committee, a country or region that has suffered serious human casualties and economic losses from a tropical cyclone may propose to remove its name from the name list. In August 2009, Morakot brought torrential rain to Taiwan, triggering floods and mudslides resulting in over 650 people being killed or recorded as missing. In September 2009, Ketsana caused severe flooding in the Philippines, where over 293 people were killed and 370 000 people were made homeless. Ketsana also left at least 267 people dead or missing in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. Parma triggered severe flooding and landslides in October 2009 in the Philippines, where around 200 people were killed.
The public, aviation and shipping sectors, the media and related sectors are requested to note the newly adopted tropical cyclone names and to take appropriate updating measures. The updated list of tropical cyclone names with their meanings is available at the Hong Kong Observatory website:(www.weather.gov.hk/informtc/sound/tcname2011e.htm).
Ends/Monday, May 30, 2011
Issued at HKT 15:01
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