Tsunami — Tutuila, American Samoa

2009-09-29 · Tutuila, American Samoa

Event narrative

A 7.9 earthquake occurred about 120 miles southwest of Pago Pago and it shook the

entire Samoan and Tongan region. The earthquake occurred around 648 am

Samoan local time, and it took within 15 minutes for the tsunami waves to reach the Samoan Islands.

Wider weather episode

A tsunami wave affected all of American Samoa including neighboring Samoan Islands.

The tsunami was generated by a 7.9 earthquake that occurred about 120 miles southwest of Pago Pago. The wave went inland as far as 1 mile. The height of the waves ranged from 15 feet at Pago Pago harbor to 40 feet at Poloa village on the Island of Tutuila. There were 32 confirmed deaths and 2 are still missing to date. Several marinas and vehicles were heavily damaged; businesses, homes, schools and coastal roads were either flooded or destroyed. The American Samoa Power plant was also damaged on the Island of Tutuila, and the government graveyard site was unearthed by strong tsunami waves.These damages amounted to $81 million.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 204396. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.