Huge wave came 'like a monster' Samoans assess destruction as aid from Hawaii arrives

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PAGO PAGO, American Samoa — Extending a lifeline from across the Pacific, federal and state disaster relief workers and volunteers arrived here last night on a Hawaiian Airlines flight with 40,000 pounds of water, food and clothing to help people cope with a deadly earthquake and tsunami.

For many on the relief flight, the trip was personal.

Lane Fatutoa, a Hawaiian Airlines flight attendant who lives in Las Vegas, was briefly able to reach his uncle and auntie who live in Fagotogo, the village where Fatutoa grew up. They had fled to higher ground before the waves rushed inland and were staying at church homes in the hills.

Fatutoa heard through in-laws that children who watched the water dramatically recede rang the school and church bell to alert other villagers of the danger.

He said he saw photographs of the football field in his village strewn with cars that had been tossed around by the surge. His auntie's truck was in a river.

"I was born and raised here, so I wanted to help in any way I could," he said of his decision to volunteer.

Joe Fano, a Hawaiian Airlines flight attendant who lives in Kahalu'u, said he was able to speak with his parents who live inland in Faga'alu. They were fine, he said, if a bit rattled.

"My dad asked me, 'Have you ever seen a mountain move?' " Fano said of the earthquake. "He said it's the worst thing he's seen in his whole life."

Police yesterday searched a ghastly landscape of mud-swept streets, pulverized homes and bodies scattered in a swamp as dazed survivors emerged from the muck of an earthquake and tsunami that killed at least 149, according to Associated Press reports.

Samoa Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele said the death toll there was 110, mostly elderly and young children. At least 30 people were killed on American Samoa, Gov. Togiola Tulafono said. Officials in Tonga said nine people had been killed.

Officials expect the death toll to rise as more areas are searched. Among the hardest hit areas was the southeast coast of Samoa, with authorities reporting that several resorts were wiped out.

"To me it was like a monster — just black water coming to you. It wasn't a wave that breaks; it was a full force of water coming straight," said Luana Tavale, an American Samoa government employee.

Survivors fled to higher ground after the magnitude 8.0 quake struck Tuesday. The residents then were engulfed by four tsunami waves 15 to 20 feet high that reached up to a mile inland.

The quake was centered about 120 miles south of the islands of Samoa, which has about 220,000 people, and American Samoa, a U.S. territory of 65,000.

Help from hawai'i

The relief aid yesterday was purchased by Hawaiian Airlines and Bank of Hawaii and donated by several Hawai'i merchants. Volunteers hope to help deliver the supplies to residents at dawn today, most likely in Pago Pago and in Leone.

Pogia Suiaunoa, the chief protocol officer for Tulafono, said he toured the island with the governor today to assess the damage, which is concentrated on the west side. The governor was in Honolulu when the earthquake and tsunami struck.

Suiaunoa was at the airport to welcome the relief flight and coordinate with federal and state officials. "Whether it's an ounce or 50 tons of supplies, there is no doubt in my mind that it's appreciated by the people of American Samoa," he said.

"We definitely appreciate all the help that we receive from Hawai'i, the federal government, and all over the United States."

assessing needs

The Federal Emergency Management Agency began to coordinate relief with the American Samoa government, while the Hawai'i Disaster Medical Assistance Team assessed whether the only hospital and several clinics are capable of caring for the sick and injured.

Power in Pago Pago was expected to be out in some areas for up to a month, and officials said some 2,200 people were in seven shelters across the island.

The waves lifted a building housing a hardware store and carried it across a two-lane highway.

The U.S. Coast Guard prepared to help check the main harbor for hazardous materials and other damage.

Mike McCoy, FEMA's logistics section chief, described the mission over the next few days: "Life giving and life sustaining," he said.

McCoy said four C-17 cargo planes are en route with water, food, blankets, cots and tarps, with the first plane scheduled to arrive today.

Toby Clairmont, the commander of the Hawai'i Disaster Medical Assistance Team, said the priority is sustaining the main LBJ Tropical Medical Center — the only hospital with roughly 60 beds — and smaller clinics.

His team will also help with the dead and determine whether injured patients need to be transferred to Hawai'i for care. His team will also help assess whether there is adequate water, food and sanitation services to prevent the spread of illness.

"We're looking at what we can do in the next 72 hours to make a difference in people's lives," he said.