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'Juan' removed from hurricane list

DARTMOUTH, Nova Scotia, April 30 (UPI) -- Canadian Environment Minister David Anderson Friday succeeded in his bid to retire "Juan" from the World Meteorological Organization's list of hurricane names.

Canada requested that the name be retired due to the devastation wrought by Hurricane Juan on the communities of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island in September 2003. It was Canada's first such request.

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"Withdrawing the name 'Juan' from the WMO list of hurricane names shows a measure of respect for the tragic loss of life" Anderson said in a press release. "It also recognizes the conservative estimates of more than $100 million in damages to the personal property and the livelihoods of people living in the Maritime provinces."

Replacement names must maintain the gender and ethnicity of retired names; "Joaquin" will replace "Juan." The WMO has voted to withdraw and replace more than 50 names on the list. "Isabel" and "Fabian" were also retired, replaced by "Ina" and "Fred."

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