Tags : samoa earthquake, samoa tsunami
Obama Issues Disaster Declaration For American Samoa
Washington, D.C. (AHN) – President Barack Obama has issued a disaster declaration for American Samoa, the U.S. territory in the Pacific Ocean that was devastated by a magnitude 8 earthquake and a subsequent tsunami.
The disaster declaration makes federal funding available for emergency and public health measures in the territory. Aid will includes grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans for damaged uninsured property, and other programs to help individuals and small businesses recover from the calamity.
The U.S. Geological Survey said a magnitude 8 earthquake hit the Samoa islands at 6:48 am local time (1:48 pm ET) on Tuesday. Reports put the death toll from the subsequent tsunami between 100 and 140.
American Samoa is among the group of tropical islands located about halfway between Hawaii and New Zealand and that also includes the sovereign state of Samoa. The territory, administered by the Office of Insular Affairs of the U.S. Interior Department, has a total land area slightly bigger than that of Washington, D.C.
The National Weather service had issued a tsunami watch for Australia, Hawaii, Indonesia, New Zealand, but later canceled this, saying the two-hour window for damaging waves to occur had passed but that rapid currents still pose a danger to boats and structures near coastlines.
The agency also canceled a tsunami advisory for the coastal areas along the California-Mexico border to the Oregon-Washington border, saying, “A damaging tsunami is not expected along the coasts of the U.S. west coast states, Alaska and British Columbia. However, some of these areas may experience non-damaging sea level changes.”
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