Samoan Islands Hit With Tsunami Waves and Earthquake

Samoan Islands Hit With Tsunami Waves and Earthquake reading 8.0 on the Richter scale.  Confirming at least 111 people killed in American Samoa, neighboring Samoa and Tonga.

Huge emergency effort is under way in the Samoan islands after Mother Nature left dozens dead and flattened or submerged entire villages.

Officials in the Pacific region are expecting the toll to rise as rescue workers struggle to reach outlying villages.

Tuesday, September 29th, 2009, the quake hit the small cluster of Samoan islands in the South Pacific early. There, the death toll currently stands at 55.

Confirmed are seven people dead on the northern island of Niuatoputapu. Three others were missing and four people were being treated for serious injuries.

“The hospital on the island is reported to have suffered major damage; telephone communications has been cut as a result of damage to equipment and facilities on the island; homes and government buildings have been destroyed; the airport runway has been severely damaged making it impossible for any fixed wing aircraft to land,” the Tongan prime minister’s office stated.

Samoan Islands Hit With Tsunami Waves and Earthquake and then came the series of aftershocks that reverberated through the region, as reports emerged of entire villages flattened or submerged by the tsunami. The walls of water were so strong that they twisted concrete beams and mangled cars.

The devastation is horrible, so do not forget to send money to the Red Cross for their assistance in this area. Make sure that you tell the Red Cross that your dollars are for this specific area.

Out lying villages on one end of the main American Samoa island has been cut off because the connecting bridge was washed away and they will have to be reached by air or boats.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Ewa Beach, Hawaii and American Samoa, has canceled tsunami watches.

Warnings and a tsunami advisory is still in effect for for the coastal areas of California and Oregon.

The U.S. Coast Guard is transporting more than 20 officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to American Samoa, stated John Hamill, external affairs officer for FEMA in Oakland, California.

The earth quake sent out three waves that hit the coastal regions. The largest measuring 5.1 feet from actual sea level height.

What is the government doing about this? President Barack Obama has already declared American Samoa a major disaster area, ordering federal aid to supplement local efforts for the area.

For the full story of “Samoan Islands Hit With Tsunami Waves and Earthquake,” go to CNN News.