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Federal officials rush to help tsunami victims
2009-09-30
APIA, Samoa - Federal disaster officials say "tens of thousands" of people on American Samoa and Samoa will need their help after a lethal tsunami in the South Pacific. Muzi.com News 10093948-1 (muzi.com)The Federal Emergency Management Agency was flying into American Samoa with food, water and repair supplies early Wednesday, and officials are anticipating the worst. Administrator Craig Fugate says "tens of thousands" of survivors will need assistance, many of whom were injured. Muzi.com News 10093948-2 (muzi.com) At least 99 people were killed after the magnitude 8.0 quake struck at 6:47 a.m. local time and sent giant waves crashing down on the islands. The quake was centered about 120 miles south of the islands of Samoa and American Samoa, a U.S. territory of 65,000. Muzi.com News 10093948-3 (muzi.com) THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below. Muzi.com News 10093948-4 (muzi.com) APIA, Samoa (AP) -- A massive tsunami unleashed by a powerful earthquake flattened Samoan villages and swept cars and people out to sea, killing at least 99 and leaving dozens missing Wednesday. The death toll was expected to rise. Muzi.com News 10093948-5 (muzi.com) Survivors fled the waves of water for higher ground on the South Pacific islands after the magnitude 8.0 quake struck at 6:48 a.m. local time (1:48 p.m. EDT; 1748 GMT) Tuesday. The quake was centered about 120 miles south of the islands of Samoa, which has about 180,000 people, and American Samoa, a U.S. territory of 65,000. Muzi.com News 10093948-6 (muzi.com) Four tsunami waves 15 to 20 feet (4 to 6 meters) high roared ashore on American Samoa about 15 minutes after the quake, reaching up to a mile (1.5 kilometers) inland, Mike Reynolds, superintendent of the National Park of American Samoa, was quoted as saying by a parks service spokeswoman. Muzi.com News 10093948-7 (muzi.com) Less than 24 hours later, another strong underwater earthquake rocked western Indonesia on Wednesday, briefly triggering a tsunami alert for countries along the Indian Ocean. The 7.6-magnitude quake toppled buildings, cut power and triggered a landslide on Sumatra island, and at least 75 people were reported killed. Experts said the seismic events were not related. Muzi.com News 10093948-8 (muzi.com) The Samoan capital, Apia, was virtually deserted by afternoon, with schools and businesses closed. Hours after the waves struck, sirens rang out with another tsunami alert and panicked residents headed for higher ground again, although there was no indication of a new quake. Muzi.com News 10093948-9 (muzi.com) In American Samoa's capital of Pago Pago, the streets and fields were filled with ocean debris, mud, overturned cars and several boats as a massive cleanup effort stretched into the night. Several buildings in the city -- just a few feet above sea level -- were flattened. Power was expected to be out in some areas for up to a month. Muzi.com News 10093948-10 (muzi.com) In Washington, President Obama has declared a major disaster for American Samoa. Obama said in a statement early Wednesday that he and his wife, Michelle, "will keep those who have lost so much in our thoughts and prayers." Muzi.com News 10093948-11 (muzi.com) Hampered by power and communications outages, officials in the South Pacific islands struggled to determine damage and casualties. Muzi.com News 10093948-12 (muzi.com) Samoan police commissioner Lilo Maiava told The Associated Press that police had confirmed 63 deaths but devastated areas were still being searched. Muzi.com News 10093948-13 (muzi.com) At least 30 people were killed on American Samoa, Gov. Togiola Tulafono said, adding that the toll was expected to rise from searches by emergency crews. Muzi.com News 10093948-14 (muzi.com) "I don't think anybody is going to be spared in this disaster," said Tulafono, who was in Hawaii for a conference. He added that a member of his extended family was among the dead. Muzi.com News 10093948-15 (muzi.com) Authorities in Tonga, southwest of the Samoas, confirmed at least six dead and four missing, according to New Zealand's acting Prime Minister Bill English. Muzi.com News 10093948-16 (muzi.com) Joey Cummings of radio station 93KHJ in Pago Pago told the BBC that he and his colleagues watched from a balcony as a 15-foot tsunami wave struck, and "the air was filled with screams." Muzi.com News 10093948-17 (muzi.com) He yelled for people to run uphill, "but they just ran down the street away from the wave rather than make a sharp left and up the steep mountain just feet away." Muzi.com News 10093948-18 (muzi.com) A "river of mud" carried trees, cars, buses and boats past his building, which is practically at sea level, Cummings told the BBC. Muzi.com News 10093948-19 (muzi.com) Some people searched for trapped survivors, he said, but others looted stores. Bodies were stacked in the back of pickup trucks, he added. Muzi.com News 10093948-20 (muzi.com) Alex Godinet, chief of staff for American Samoa's congressional delegate, said his "whole house and everything was shaking." When he went to the nearby village of Leone, the tsunami wave had already struck and receded. Muzi.com News 10093948-21 (muzi.com) "People, elders were trying to crawl all over the place, crawl up to higher place, higher areas," he told NBC's "Today" show. Muzi.com News 10093948-22 (muzi.com) All 65 employees at the National Park of American Samoa were accounted for, although at least one of them lost a home, said Holly Bundock, spokeswoman for the National Park Service's Pacific West Region in Oakland, Calif. The park service employs 13 permanent workers and between 30 and 50 volunteers, depending on the time of year. Muzi.com News 10093948-23 (muzi.com) The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs said three Australians were among the dead. The British Foreign Office said one Briton was missing and presumed dead. Muzi.com News 10093948-24 (muzi.com) Samoan Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi looked shaken as he flew from Auckland, New Zealand, to Apia. Muzi.com News 10093948-25 (muzi.com) "So much has gone. So many people are gone," he told reporters on board. "I'm so shocked, so saddened by all the loss." Muzi.com News 10093948-26 (muzi.com) Malielegaoi said his own village of Lepa was destroyed. Muzi.com News 10093948-27 (muzi.com) "Thankfully, the alarm sounded on the radio and gave people time to climb to higher ground," he said. "But not everyone escaped." Muzi.com News 10093948-28 (muzi.com) Tulafono said that because the closeness of the community in American Samoa, "each and every family is going to be affected by someone who's lost their life." He spoke to reporters in Hawaii before boarding a Coast Guard C-130 plane loaded with aid and carrying Federal Emergency Management Agency officials. Muzi.com News 10093948-29 (muzi.com) A New Zealand P3 Orion maritime surveillance airplane had reached the region Wednesday and had searched for survivors off the coast, he said. Muzi.com News 10093948-30 (muzi.com) The Samoa Red Cross estimated that 15,000 people were affected by the tsunami. Muzi.com News 10093948-31 (muzi.com) New Zealander Graeme Ansell said the Samoan beach village of Sau Sau Beach Fale was leveled. Muzi.com News 10093948-32 (muzi.com) "It was very quick. The whole village has been wiped out," Ansell told New Zealand's National Radio from a hill near Apia. "There's not a building standing. We've all clambered up hills, and one of our party has a broken leg. There will be people in a great lot of need 'round here." Muzi.com News 10093948-33 (muzi.com) Residents of both Samoa and American Samoa said they were shaken awake by Tuesday's quake, which lasted two to three minutes and was centered about 20 miles (30 kilometers) below the ocean floor. It was followed by at least three large aftershocks of at least 5.6 magnitude. Muzi.com News 10093948-34 (muzi.com) The quake came Tuesday morning for the Samoas, which lie just east of the international dateline. For Asia-Pacific countries on the other side of the line, it was already Wednesday. Muzi.com News 10093948-35 (muzi.com) American Samoa's dominant industry -- tuna canning -- was also affected. Chicken of the Sea's packing plant was forced to close, although the facility wasn't damaged, the San Diego-based company said. Muzi.com News 10093948-36 (muzi.com) The effects of the tsunami could be felt nearly 5,000 miles away (7,500 kilometers) on a Japanese island, though there were no reports of damage or injuries there. Muzi.com News 10093948-37 (muzi.com) U.S. officials said strong currents and dangerous waves were forecast from California to Washington state. No major flooding was expected, however. Muzi.com News 10093948-38 (muzi.com) While the earthquake and tsunami were big, they were not on the same scale of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, said Brian Atwater of the U.S. Geological Survey in Seattle. That tsunami killed more than 230,000 in a dozen countries across Asia. Muzi.com News 10093948-39 (muzi.com)
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