FEMA

The Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is into its fifth day of response and federal support to American Samoa. At the same time, FEMA and other federal partners remain engaged in preparedness efforts throughout the Pacific.FEMA and federal teams, through the Federal Coordinating Officer, continue to work closely with American Samoan Governor Togiola Tulafono, as well as Delegate Eni F.H. Faleomavaega, to provide response in areas of American Samoa impacted by Tuesday’s tsunami. The information below represents the progress of resources and supplies into the island territory in the aftermath of the tsunami. The information is current as of 12:00 p.m. EDT.

“In addition to our efforts in support of the Governor of American Samoa, we recognize the significant impact of current disasters in other Pacific regions, including Indonesia, the Philippines and Taiwan,” said FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate. “We are working closely with the Governor to meet his priorities as federal support continues to flow into American Samoa. As we continue to respond and recover in U.S. Territories, our thoughts and prayers go out to everyone in harms way.  These events remind us how important preparedness and teamwork are to saving lives and ultimately rebuilding communities.”

A team of more than 300 responders from FEMA, American Red Cross, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Department of Health and Human Services and other federal agencies are on the ground in American Samoa. These personnel comprise the immediate response force, including Incident Management Assessment Teams (IMAT), Disaster Medical Assistance Teams (DMAT), and Public Health Assistance Teams. Other personnel are assisting with community efforts.

The United States Coast Guard (USCG), National Guard, and United States Navy have provided critical transport of the life-saving and life-sustaining supplies and equipment to meet the immediate needs of the survivors, including more than 26,000 meals, 14,000 liters of water, 1,800 blankets, 800 tents, more than 800 cots, and nine pallets of medical supplies and medical equipment in support of the territory’s mass care operations. Several generators have been deployed, with more on the way. These generators will supply communities and critical infrastructure with power. In accordance with the governor’s priority recovery efforts, debris removal planning is also underway and recovery specialists, including a housing planning team, are being identified and assembled

As residents begin to return to their homes, FEMA cautions them to be safe. FEMA cautions all persons on the island to be aware of potential hazards and advises that residents continue to follow guidance of local officials in clearing debris.

FEMA continues to coordinate with our federal partners, providing the following support to the region. Additional information on response and recovery efforts can be found below:

American Red Cross (ARC): ARC has conducted a preliminary disaster assessment and reports extensive destruction west of Leone, City of Pago Pago and the eastern most portion of the island. ARC continues to deploy volunteers on the ground in American Samoa providing food and supplies in affected areas; deploying additional equipment such as computers, cell phones and satellite phones. The Red Cross has activated their Safe and Well program to assist families with finding missing loved ones and is assisting shelter residents with registration on the website.

U.S. Coast Guard (USCG): Port assessments report no significant pollution and no obstructions to commercial traffic. The Navigation Team has completed the assessment of water navigation aids for American Samoa and the surrounding islands; all aids are intact and considered ready to support day and night operations.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: Disaster Medical Assistance Teams are providing medical support to survivors; a public health official has been deployed along with other support staff including public health experts; providing medical and pharmaceutical equipment and supplies.

U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI): DOI representative assisting the FEMA National Response Coordination Center (NRCC) with response and recovery planning.

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS): Analysts at the USGS National Earthquake Information Center (NEIC) are providing a range of information products to support emergency response and relief operations and will be conducting a post-tsunami investigation.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE): USACE reports the water system on American Samoa is functioning to near normal capacity but pressure is limited in some areas. Soldiers from the 249th Prime Power Engineer Battalion are assisting with the management of the Honolulu District’s Emergency Power PRT with the installation of FEMA generators at critical prioritized life-saving and life-sustaining public facilities like shelters, sewer and water treatment plants or emergency management and response facilities.

U.S. Department of Defense (DOD): Defense Coordinating Officer assisting with IMATs.

National Guard Bureau (NGB): A fourth National Guard C-17 delivered Joint Task Force (JTF) equipment; JTF personnel augmenting the FEMA Damage Assessment Teams; Hawaii National Guard’s 93^rd Civil Support Team (CST) conducting medical support and HAZMAT surveys, Hawaii National Guard’s CERFP (Chemical, Biological, Radiological Nuclear Explosive Enhanced Response Force Package) performing mobile medical missions and clearing debris.

Small Business Administration (SBA): Deploying assistance workers to assist in recovery efforts; SBA customer service representatives will issue disaster loan applications, explain the process and answer questions.

Internal Revenue Service (IRS): The IRS is postponing certain deadlines for taxpayers who reside or have a business in the disaster area. For details and additional information please visit www.irs.gov, use keyword American Samoa Tsunami.

Non-governmental organizations, including the American Red Cross and other voluntary and faith-based groups, are also providing assistance to the impacted region.  Financial contributions to disaster relief organizations in the form of cash donations will allow voluntary organizations to fund response and recovery efforts quickly and provide goods and services to disaster survivors.  Information for volunteer and donation efforts can be found at: www.fema.gov/donations or www.redcross.org/.

Click on images for a larger picture. All images on this page are from the United States military and are public domain.

The 154th Medical Group/Chemical, Biological, Radiological/Nuclear and Explosives Enhanced Response Force Package, U.S. Air National Guardsmen, Tech. Sgt. Carissa Maxson watches the shorelines of Pago Pago, American Samoa, in disbelief as she drives by them on Oct. 1. Maxson is conducting assessments of the area after a tsunami caused a great amount of structural damage to the island villages Sept. 29. Photo by Tech. Sgt. Cohen Young

FEMA

Federal Response
Region IX:

• RRCC at Level 1 (24/7) with all ESFs supporting

FEMA Headquarters:

• FEMA NRCC is at Level 1 (24/7) with selected ESFs

Status of Response:

• Governor Togiola Tulafono’s priorities:
  • Search and rescue (2 confirmed missing)
  • Power restoration
  • Complete damage assessments
• 32 confirmed fatalities on American Samoa.
• 12 shelters open with 1,912 occupants.
• 129 injured were treated at LBJ Medical Center, which is currently open and operational.
• Five generators are on the ground in American Soma.  Four generators are currently enroute from Hickman Air Force Base in Hawaii and an additional flight is scheduled to depart at 2:00 P.M. EDT October 2 with two additional generators.
• One of two power plants is operational.  Approximately 6,000 customers remain without power in the Eastern District.  Local power authorities are anticipating temporary power restoration within two weeks.
• Water systems are nearly restored island wide.
• Most major roads are open and passable. Bridge to Leone is open to one way traffic.
• FAA reports that Pago Pago Airport has reopened with operational limitations.
• Seaport is operational with no restrictions.
• Western District of Tutuila schools are open.
• Cellular telephone service is available with limitations.
• Gasoline and Diesel Fuel supplies are plentiful.  No immediate aviation fuel shortages anticipated, however Pago Pago Airport requested next scheduled delivery of aviation fuel (October 20) be moved up to next week.  (Region IX, FEMA HQ)

A boat sits adrift in Pago Pago, American Samoa, Oct. 1, after a tsunami carried it away from the harbor along with debris while also causing a great amount of structural damage to the island villages, Sept. 29. Photo by Tech. Sgt. Cohen Young

Office of the Secretary of Defense Public Affairs

The medical support situation in American Samoa has stabilized amid ongoing U.S. relief efforts after a massive tsunami devastated the area this week, a Defense Department official said Oct. 2.

Medical triage, casualty care, shelter and bedding are being administered to those affected by the disaster, Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman told reporters.

“It does appear as if the situation is stabilizing a bit — at least the medical support situation has stabilized,” he said. “The hospital there is open, [and] the [Veterans Affairs] clinic on the island has been providing some additional assistance in the treatment of injured there.”

An 8.4 magnitude earthquake struck near the Samoa Islands region Sept. 29, causing devastating 15-to-20-foot-high waves to cascade inland across the South Pacific archipelago, including the eastern side of American Samoa, a U.S. possession.

Three C-17 Globemaster III cargo planes flew from Hawaii to deliver personnel from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, food and water, and mortuary-affairs assets. A fourth flight is expected to arrive soon, and two other C-17 flights are being coordinated, Whitman said.

“It’s the very basic types of things that you need when people are all of a sudden without any shelter and all of a sudden need assistance with the basic necessities,” Whitman said. “Food, personal hygiene items, that type of [assistance].”

Meanwhile, the Army Corps of Engineers and subject-matter experts are working on power regeneration and handling issues related to debris and waste water.

The request for Defense Department assistance in providing medical triage, hazardous material response, mass casualty care and strategic airlift came from FEMA.

FEMA maintains well-stocked warehouses in Guam and Honolulu and is deploying resources to support 70,000 survivors in American Samoa survivors over the coming week.

A home's foundation sits on an angle in Pago Pago, American Samoa, on Oct. 1 after the foundation collapsed as a result after a tsunami. Photo by Tech. Sgt. Cohen Young

Defense Media Activity – Hawaii News Bureau

Hawaii Guardsmen from the U.S. Army National Guard and U.S. Air National Guard Assessed damages in the Pago Pago and Leone villages of American Samoa on Oct. 1, 2009. More than 30 Active Duty Guardsmen and Guardsmen split into two groups to conduct search and rescue and assessment procedures. The units participating in Operation Wave are the 93rd Civil Support Team, which is a joint unit comprised of active duty Army National Guardsmen and active duty Air National Guardsmen, while the 154th Medical Group/ Chemical, Biological, Radiological/Nuclear and Explosives Enhanced Response Force Package are all Air National Guardsmen.

Many of the Soldiers and Airmen were glad to come to American Samoa to help with relief.

“It’s rewarding coming out here to something like this to help those in need,” said 154th ANG CERFP Team Leader, Capt. Jason Iyomasa, a native of Honolulu.

Iyomasa and three members of his team joined with Maj. Joe Laurel, the 93rd CST Team leader and Honolulu native and nine of his members as they coordinated with local Pago Pago Harbor authorities with the assessing the needs of the area. The remaining members traveled to Leone to help officials locate a child that was reported missing at the conclusion of the tsunami.

“We met our objectives of checking the safety of individuals and families, assisting local authorities with search and rescue efforts and assessing vital needs of the local populace in the impacted areas,” said Laurel.

“Our coordination with local authorities went very well,” Laurel added.

The main problem was structural as many people were displaced because their homes were destroyed.

“As our search and rescue efforts finish, we now will start to focus on finding shelters for the many displaced, along with finding distribution points for food and water,” said Laurel.

Military members acted quickly in responding to the tsunami, which occurred on Sept. 29. The first teams left Hickam AFB, HI on Sept. 30, which illustrates the awareness and keen sense of urgency that U.S. forces have within the Pacific Command.

National Guard Bureau

Capt. Nathaniel Duff is a physician’s assistant with the 154th Wing of the Hawaii Air National Guard based at Hickam Air Force Base. He is a member of the medical team embedded with the CBRNE Enhanced Response Force Package that was on the first C-17 Globemaster III sent to American Samoa, Sept. 30.

The mission of the CERFP’s medical team is to perform medical triage and initial treatment, provide emergency medical treatment, stage for military and civilian evacuation and provide medical support to patient decontamination and search and extraction teams.

Below is an email that Duff sent to his unit once he arrived in the tsunami-torn territory:

“Just finished debriefing Day 1. Today, we broke our medical search and extraction teams into two groups. I was the designated medical team leader for the group that was deployed to the west side of American Samoa in a small village called Leone.

“Capt. [Jason] Iyomasa and Team 2 went toward Pago Pago. It was a simple fishing village that looked much like rural villages in southern Thailand. We contacted the village chief, who had been waiting since the tsunami hit for help. We were the first contact his village had with any government relief agency.

“The village included at least 30-50 families, a school and a temple/church. Very beautiful spot with clear water and a beach surrounded by lush, verdant forest covered mountains. It was absolutely devastated.

“Most of the village was in rubble and washed deep into the tropical mangrove forest up toward the mountains. Entire contents of homes, boats, full-size pick-up trucks and cars carried through the forest and up the mountainside. It must have been a tremendous wall of water to create that much damage.

“After talking with the village chief, we learned that a small, six-year-old boy was missing from his village and an 11-year-old girl was missing from an adjacent village. We set up an organized search grid and went out in five-man teams lead by a local villager into the hot, humid mangrove swamp. The entire area was easily over a mile wide and half-mile deep.

“The air stunk with human and animal excrement, hundreds of dead fish and animals, and rotting food and debris. It was very treacherous wading through knee-deep swamp and climbing over sharp debris with rusty nails, sheet metal, glass and all manner of house debris. We found over-turned trucks 500 yards deep into the jungle upside down in trees.

“The villagers all welcomed us and were grateful that we cared to stop and help, even though we were unsuccessful at locating their child today. The more seriously injured villagers had already been transported to the one hospital in the main town, so we provided basic first aid to any walking wounded, including a big, 300-pound muscular Samoan, nicknamed ‘The General,’ who was injured saving his wife from being washed away. He had three broken ribs and his left leg was swollen with infection from open sores and scrapes.

“We’ve planned two separate missions tomorrow. First, we’ll be sending our search and extraction component along with more equipment for heavy lifting, search cameras, mapping equipment, communications, etc., back to Leone tomorrow.

“Second, we’ve stripped all gear from one CERFP trailer and restocked it specifically for a large medical mission north of Pago Pago. Capt. Iyomasa and Team 2 located a shelter apparently housing about 200 displaced villagers. We’ll be setting up a field triage and first-aid station with the majority of our medical team including myself.

“Looks like we also may be hooking up with at least two Navy corpsman to make this a joint medical effort. The Coast Guard also has a fairly large presence on that side of the island helping to manage the ocean and port damage and hazardous waste, etc.

“Things have been pretty chaotic, since we were essentially in the first wave of ‘boots-on-the-ground.’ It was very cool to know that we have been able to effectively operate our CERFP mission essentially within 24 hours of being called to duty from Hawaii.

“Logistics and communications have been difficult, to say the least, but everyone in our unit has risen to the challenge in unique ways. You should be very proud to see how mature and professional the CERFP team has performed, but especially our own 154th Medical Group team despite the long hours, heat, stress and emotional exhaustion.”

The topography of Tutuila, largest of the islands of American Samoa, is well shown in this color-coded perspective view generated with digital elevation data from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM.) The total area of Tutuila is about 141.8 square kilometers (54.8 square miles), slightly larger than San Francisco. The large bay near the center in this view is Pago Pago Harbor, actually a submerged volcanic crater whose south wall collapsed millions of years ago. Adjacent to the harbor is Pago Pago, the capital of American Samoa, and to the left (west) of the harbor in this view is Matafao Peak, Tutuila’s highest point at 653 meters (2,142 feet). NASA image

FEMA

FEMA and its federal partners continue to work closely with Governor Tulafono to respond in areas of American Samoa impacted by the tsunami. The information below represents the movement of supplies into the island territory in the aftermath of Tuesday’s tsunami. The information is accurate as of 1:30 p.m. EDT. For updates please contact the FEMA News Desk.

C-130 Flights:

A United States Coast Guard C-130, from Coast Guard Air Station Sacramento, Calif. arrived at 7 a.m local time (2 p.m. EDT) on September 30^th in Pago Pago, American Samoa. This flight carried Governor Tulafono, who was in Hawaii at the time of the tsunami, the initial response team of 50 personnel including Federal Coordinating Officer, Kenneth J. Tingman, Defense Coordinating Officer Col. James George, as well as team supplies for seven days.

A second United States Coast Guard C-130 from Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point, Calif. arrived in American Samoa at approximately 7 p.m. on September 30^th, (2 a.m. EDT, October 1^st). This flight included additional commodities and FEMA personnel including the Incident Management Assistance Team (IMAT), a regionally-based incident ‘strike team’ and the Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT), medical expert volunteers that are part of the National Disaster Medical System.

C-17 National Guard Flights:

A Hawaii National Guard C-17 cargo flight from Honolulu arrived in American Samoa at 1 a.m. local time (8 a.m. EDT) on October 1^st. This flight included over 40 National Guard personnel, four vehicles, hazmat materials, communications equipment, cots, blankets, food and water.

An additional Hawaii National Guard C-17 cargo flight arrived at 4 a.m. (11 a.m. EDT) on October 1^st in American Samoa. This flight included 20 additional National Guard personnel, five vehicles, hazmat materials, communications equipment, cots, blankets, food and water.

A third National Guard C-17 from McChord AFB in Bothell, WA is scheduled to arrive late tonight, local American Samoa time. This flight includes FEMA and National Guard personnel including National Guard CERF-P Search and Rescue teams, vehicles, trailers and cargo.

USS Ingraham:

This United States Navy frigate arrived in American Samoa on September 30^th with food, water, commodities and two Seahawk helicopters available for search and recovery operations. The helicopters have already allowed Governor Tulafono and Federal Coordinating Officer Kenneth J. Tingman to survey damage to American Samoa.

Red Cross

The American Red Cross is on the ground in American Samoa where a tsunami swept across the island after a powerful earthquake hit the South Pacific.

Red Cross has dozens of volunteers already providing food and supplies to those on the island. A team of 50 volunteers is being sent in to supplement the efforts of the local Red Cross team. The Red Cross has a warehouse on American Samoa supplied with cots, flashlights, and cooking and clean-up supplies, and will be sending in additional supplies as quickly as possible.

“We will get there as quickly as we can with what we can,” said Joe Becker, senior vice president for Red Cross Disaster Services. “Our first priority is to provide food and water.” After yesterday’s 8.0 magnitude earthquake and resulting tsunami, a significant portion of American Samoa is without power or water amid widespread damage.

Getting information out of the island is very slow at this time. The Red Cross urges those who have been able to contact loved ones on American Samoa to register them with Safe and Well, the best way to share information about their status. You can register on the Red Cross Safe and Well Website at www.redcross.org. If you do not have internet access, call 1-800-REDCROSS to register your loved ones. The information you post will let other loved ones know about the well-being of those on the island. Please note – Safe and Well works only on American Samoa. The service will not work on Samoa.

Associated Press

The dead from Tuesday’s earthquake and tsunami include 120 in Samoa, 31 in American Samoa and nine in Tonga. Samoan police commander Lilo Maiava said the search for bodies could continue another three weeks.

Doctors and nurses were sent to devastated villages, and a refrigerated freight container was being used as a temporary morgue for the scores of bodies showing up at a Samoan hospital, officials said.

The United States, Australia and New Zealand sent in supplies and troops, including a U.S. Navy frigate carrying two helicopters that will be used in search-and-rescue efforts. The Hawaii Air National Guard and U.S. Air Force flew three cargo planes to American Samoa that carried 100 Navy and Army guard personnel and reservists.