Yagi removed from international storm naming list

On the morning of February 25, the General Department of Hydrometeorology (Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment) announced that at its 57th annual meeting in the Philippines, the Storm Committee Council unanimously removed Yagi from the list of storm names. The name Tra Mi, given by Vietnam, was also removed from the list due to its severe impact on the Philippines.

According to regulations approved by the International Hurricane Committee in 1998, member countries contribute 10 storm names to the name bank, which is used when a new storm appears. The storm names are used in turn, and when the cycle ends, the old name will return.

Member countries are encouraged to remove one or more storm names from the list if they cause serious consequences to the community. Vietnam has proposed to rename storm Linfa in 2020, Sao La in 2023, and replace the name of storm Sao Mai in 2018 with Sontinh.

Typhoon Yagi, named by Japan, entered the East Sea on September 1, 2024, becoming storm number 3. Yagi is the strongest typhoon in 30 years in the East Sea, 70 years on the Vietnamese mainland, existing on the mainland for more than 12 hours, disrupting the lives of tens of millions of people in the North and part of the Central region.

The storm made landfall in Quang Ninh at noon on September 7, causing winds at Bai Chay level 14, gusting to level 17, while inland points such as Hai Duong recorded winds of level 11 and Hanoi level 10. Trees fell and houses were devastated.

Five days after the storm, the North was submerged in heavy rain, generally 250 - 450 mm, in some places over 550 mm. The prolonged rain triggered thousands of landslides in the North. Of the 318 deaths and 26 missing due to storm Yagi, most were due to landslides. Lao Cai suffered the greatest damage with 132 deaths and 19 missing, with the landslide in Lang Nu, Phuc Khanh commune, Bao Yen district alone claiming 60 lives and leaving 7 missing.

Floods in the basins of Thao, Lo, Thuong, Gam, Thai Binh, Luc Nam, and Hoang Long rivers all exceeded alert level III, in some places exceeding 3-4 meters, causing 20/25 provinces and cities in the North to be flooded, over 68,000 houses submerged in water, many places deeper than 2 meters.

Economic losses caused by Typhoon Yagi amounted to more than VND83,700 billion, equivalent to the state budget revenue of the entire Northern midland and mountainous region in 2024 (VND89,200 billion) and 0.62% of GDP in 2023, greatly affecting the national economy and the livelihoods of millions of people.