The region is grappling with the aftermath of a powerful storm that recently impacted Southeast Asia. Originally known as Typhoon Yagi, the system has been renamed Tomo by the World Meteorological Organization’s Typhoon Committee, following a standard procedure for particularly destructive weather events. The change comes after Tomo caused widespread damage and a significant loss of life across multiple countries in September 2024.
Tomo, classified as a super typhoon, brought torrential rainfall and destructive winds to the Philippines, South China, Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, and Myanmar. The storm’s intensity and prolonged duration – remaining over land for 12 hours – contributed to the extensive devastation. The renaming of the typhoon is part of an ongoing effort to standardize storm naming conventions and improve disaster preparedness across the region, ensuring clear communication and facilitating international cooperation.
Storm’s Impact: Loss of Life and Economic Damage
The most severe impact of Typhoon Tomo was felt in Vietnam, where authorities reported at least 59 fatalities and hundreds of injuries as of September 8, 2024, according to the BBC report. Landslides were a major cause of death, with 44 victims succumbing to these events, according to Vietnam’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. The storm also caused significant infrastructure damage, including collapsed bridges – a bridge in Phu Tho province collapsed on September 11, plunging vehicles into the Red River – and widespread power outages, even reaching the capital, Hanoi.
Initial assessments indicate that Tomo affected approximately 3.6 million people and damaged over 322,000 homes. Economic losses are estimated to exceed 88.7 trillion Vietnamese dongs, equivalent to roughly 0.62% of Vietnam’s 2023 GDP, and potentially reducing the 2024 GDP by approximately 0.24%, according to Vietnamese news sources. The cultural and tourism sectors were particularly hard hit, accounting for nearly 57% of the total economic losses, followed by agriculture, industry, and export trade.
Renaming Convention and Regional Cooperation
The decision to replace “Yagi” with “Tomo” is part of a systematic process managed by the Typhoon Committee, established in 2000. The committee, comprised of 14 member countries and territories, is responsible for naming and coding tropical cyclones that reach tropical storm strength or higher in the region. The naming list is rotated, and member states can propose the removal of a storm’s name if it causes particularly severe damage or for other exceptional reasons.
During a recent conference, the committee agreed to replace nine typhoon names, including Yagi with Tomo. Other changes included Toraji to Gaeguri, Kong-rey to Koki, Man-yi to Dim-sum, Usagi to Hebi, Jebi to Narae, Krathon to Burapha, Trami to Hoaban, and Ewiniar to Tirou. Notably, Vietnam proposed “Hoaban,” a flower culturally significant to the northwest mountainous region, to replace “Trami” on the list. The committee also noted proposals from the Philippines to suspend the leverage of several other typhoon names – Wipha, Co-May, Mitag, Ragasa, Bualoi, Kalmaegi, and Fung-Wong – due to the extensive damage they caused.
Criteria for Typhoon Names
The Typhoon Committee has established specific criteria for new typhoon names. These names must be no more than nine characters long, easily pronounceable, free of negative connotations in member countries’ languages, and not be commercial trademarks. The goal is to avoid confusion with cyclones in other regions and to standardize information for monitoring and forecasting, ultimately strengthening disaster preparedness and international collaboration.
Typhoon Tomo (originally Yagi, typhoon No. 3) rapidly intensified from a tropical depression off the coast of the Philippines in late August 2024, becoming a super typhoon with a significant increase in intensity within 48 hours. At landfall in Quang Ninh and Hai Phong provinces, the storm’s central winds reached levels 13-14, with gusts up to levels 16-17. The system was the strongest to hit the South China Sea in 30 years and the strongest to build landfall in Vietnam in 70 years, according to reports.
As communities begin the long process of recovery, attention is turning to strengthening infrastructure and improving early warning systems to mitigate the impact of future storms. The Typhoon Committee’s ongoing work to refine naming conventions and enhance regional cooperation will be crucial in building resilience to these increasingly frequent and intense weather events.
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