American Samoa Earthquake
and Tsunami Damage
Federal Response Activities, DOI Personnel & Facilities Update

The damage from tsunami flooding can be seen on a street leading up to Pago Plaza in American Samoa's capitol of Pago Pago. The NPS visitor center, which was heavily damaged, is on the first floor of the Pago Plaza -- the blue tile building in the background

Updated October 13, 2009, An earthquake with a magnitude of 8.0 on the Richter Scale occurred 120 miles south-southwest from American Samoa, about 13 kilometers below the seabed at about 6:48 a.m. SST (1:48 p.m. Eastern DT ). The earthquake was followed by a tsunami that produced several large waves causing 32 confirmed deaths, more than a hundred injuries and the destruction of about 200 homes and businesses. While there are still about 400 persons living in shelters, most of the displaced persons have been invited to live with friends and families on the island. Major damage/destruction occurred to the coastal areas of Tutuila and other islands of American Samoa, a U.S. insular territory. The tsunami also impacted surrounding islands, including Western Samoa and Tonga.

American Samoa received an expedited Federal Major Disaster Declaration on Sept. 29, 2009 making disaster funds available for Individual assistance, Public assistance and Hazard Mitigation. The Federal Coordinating Officer (FCO) established a Joint Field Office (JFO) on the island where all Federal response and recovery operations are being coordinated. The FCO assumed operational control of response and recovery operations from FEMA Region IX’s Response Coordination Center which has transitioned to a support posture. The Federal Emergency Management Agency announced late this week that response operations have concluded and the incident has moved to the recovery phase. FEMA’s National Response Coordination Center has shifted back to normal, steady state operations.
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Guidance for 2009 H1N1 Flu

Novel influenza A (H1N1) is a new flu virus that was first detected in April 2009. The virus has sparked a growing and expanding pandemic - with 208 countries worldwide reporting confirmed cases of H1N1 Flu, including over 12,200 deaths, to the World Health Organization (WHO). The United States continues to report the largest number of novel H1N1 cases of any country worldwide. Influenza activity, including flu-related hospitalizations and deaths, continues to decline around the country. However, flu-related visits to the doctor still remain elevated.

Influenza is unpredictable and activity can rise and fall throughout the season, but flu is likely to continue for months caused by either 2009 H1N1 viruses or regular seasonal flu viruses. While both the H1N1 Flu virus and the regular seasonal influenza viruses are circulating, the H1N1 Flu is the dominant flu strain and will likely continue to be the most common influenza virus strain during the 2009 – 2010 flu season. Therefore, this year's annual flu season poses the potential to cause significant illness with increased flu-related employee absenteeism, as well as increased numbers of hospitalizations and deaths from both the seasonal flu as well as the H1N1 Flu.  more

Other Emergency Operations News more

Flooding is a coast to coast threat to the United States and its territories in all months of the year. Every year, the National Weather Service highlights some of the many ways floods can occur, the hazards associated with floods, and what you can do to save life and property.

The Department of the Interior deployed more than 6,100 personnel in response to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, with a peak deployment of 2,304 personnel at the height of operations.