By Brian Jules Campued
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) on Jan. 19 announced the decommissioning of tropical cyclone names “Egay” and “Goring” following the trail of destruction it left in Northern Luzon last year.
Citing data from the Office of the Civil Defense (OCD), the weather bureau said Egay (Doksuri) and the enhanced southwest monsoon or “habagat” brought a total of 30 deaths and damage to properties amounting to P15.318 billion.
According to the Tropical Cyclone Preliminary Report for 2023 from PAGASA, Egay developed into a tropical cyclone on July 20, 2023 and reached super typhoon category four days later, making landfalls on the islands of Fuga and Dalupiri, both in Cagayan.
Meanwhile, then super typhoon Goring (Saola), while did not make landfall, enhanced the habagat and triggered torrential rains in parts of Northern Luzon in August 2023 and resulted in two fatalities and a total cost of P2.421 billion in damages.
PAGASA decommissions the name of a tropical cyclone when it has caused at least 300 deaths or P1 billion worth of damage to infrastructure and agriculture.
Egay and Goring will be replaced by Emil and Gavino, respectively, starting 2027.
PAGASA utilizes four sets of tropical cyclone names that are used alternately or every four years, thus, the list used in 2023 which included the newly retired names will be repeated in 2027, 2031, 2035, and so on. – avds