2009 Samoa earthquake and tsunami
UTC time | 2009-09-29 17:48:10 |
---|---|
ISC event | 15162203 |
USGS-ANSS | ComCat |
Local date | 29 September 2009 |
Local time | 06:48:10 |
Magnitude | 8.1 Mw[1] |
Depth | 15 km (9.3 mi)[1] |
Epicenter | 15°32′S 171°52′W / 15.53°S 171.87°W[1] |
Type | Dip-slip (normal and thrust)[2][3] |
Areas affected | Samoa American Samoa Tonga Cook Islands Fiji French Polynesia New Zealand |
Max. intensity | MMI VI (Strong)[3] |
Tsunami | Yes |
Casualties | at least 189 fatalities[4] hundreds injured[5] |
The 2009 Samoa earthquake and tsunami took place on 29 September 2009 in the southern Pacific Ocean adjacent to the
Normal and thrust faulting triggered a
Countries affected by the tsunami, in the areas that were hit are American Samoa, Samoa and Tonga (Niuatoputapu) where more than 189 people were killed, especially children, most of them in Samoa.[7] Large waves with no major damage were reported on the coasts of Fiji, the northern coast of New Zealand[8] and Rarotonga in the Cook Islands. People took precautions in the low-lying atolls of Tokelau and moved to higher ground. Niue was reported as reasonably safe because it is high. There were no reports of high waves from Vanuatu, Kiribati, New Caledonia and the Solomon Islands.[9]
American Samoa
The Los Angeles Times, quoting a source at the National Park of American Samoa, reported that "four tsunami waves, 15 to 20 ft (4.6 to 6 m) high", and "reaching up to a mile (1.6 km) inland" hit American Samoa shortly after the earthquake.[10] The water flowed inland about 100 yd (100 m) before receding, leaving some cars stuck in the mud.[10] Damage to the National Park's natural reserves and the destruction of its visitor center and main offices have been reported, while only 20% of the park's 40 to 50 employees and volunteers had been found.[10]
A beach village was reported to have been "wiped out", killing at least 14 people after the earthquake had sent residents fleeing for higher ground.[4] Large numbers of American Samoans were said to have been left injured or homeless.[11]
Confirmed death tolls rose to 22 people, with many people still missing in the villages of Leone and Pago Pago.[12]
A
The water system was also damaged in the earthquake, and the supply of fresh water to eastern parts of American Samoa has been disrupted due to broken water lines.[12] The water division of the American Samoa Power Authority (ASPA) announced that it will bring water in tanker trucks to affected villages.[12] Residents were warned to conserve and boil water until safe drinking water supplies can be restored, which could take some time.[12]
U.S. President
Samoa
Samoa evacuated people from the entire city of Apia, the country's capital city on the island of Upolu and moving thousands of residents to higher ground.[18] Journalist Cherelle Jackson reported that the city quickly emptied in the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami, "All the schools, workplaces everyone has walked up – it's like a ghost town."[18]
Twenty villages on Upolu south side were reportedly destroyed, including
A number of tourist resorts are located on Upolu's south coast. These include Coconuts Beach Resort[25] and Sinalei Reef Resort and Spa[26] in the village of Siumu. Both resorts published tsunami updates on their websites. The Sa'Moana Resort is in the village of Salamumu.[27]
The eastern part of the island remains without power or water supplies after the earthquake.[21]
A Red Cross worker reported to Radio New Zealand that waves 10 feet (3 m) high had flattened beachside resorts on Upolu,[28] and that residents told him the tourist zone of Lalomanu had been crushed by a wall of water about 20–30 ft (6.1–9.1 m) high.[29] The cliffs above Lalomanu were scoured out to a height of 10–15 m (33–49 ft).[30]
Power outages were reported, and phone lines were jammed.[31] Samoan officials confirmed the runway at Faleolo International Airport on Upolu was safe by early afternoon (30 September 2009).
Samoan Prime Minister Tuila'epa Sa'ilele Malielegaoi, and his Deputy Prime Minister Misa Telefoni Retzlaff were in Auckland, New Zealand, at the time of the earthquake. Both political leaders immediately returned to Samoa. Prime Minister Malielegaoi lost two relatives in the tsunami, including the daughter of one of his nieces.[32]
The Prime Minister made his first address to the nation, after the tsunami, on 1 October.[33] The Government of Samoa estimates the damage at US$147.25 million.[34]
On 2 October 2009, an estimated 3,000 people were homeless and seeking refuge in shelters set up around the worst-affected villages.[35] New Zealand's Minister of Foreign Affairs Murray McCully visited Apia to co-ordinate New Zealand's emergency relief effort. New Zealand Prime Minister John Key arrived in Samoa on 3 October and visited some of the most damaged areas on Upolu including the villages of Poutasi and Lalolamu.[36]
The Samoa government and the people of Samoa held a national funeral at Apia Park for tsunami victims on 8 October 2009 (Samoa local time).[37]
Tonga
The main impact in Tonga was in the northern part of the island kingdom where there were deaths, injuries and extensive damage[38] on Niuatoputapu, a flat coral island[39] 500 km north of the main island Tongatapu, and reportedly closest to the epicentre of the earthquake. The death toll on the island has risen to nine.[40] A Tongan government spokesman Alfred Soakai said 90% of homes had been destroyed as well as serious damage to the hospital.[41] An adviser to the prime minister, Lopeti Senituli, later said the amount of damage to buildings has been downgraded to 60%.[42] There are three main villages on Niuatoputapu: Hihifo and Falehau, which were hit by three waves, some 6m high, and the village of Vaipoa, which received less damage.[43] A new school building remained standing and provided some shelter. The island is isolated with a population of around 1,000 people. Approximately 192 families were left homeless and the homes of 143 additional families were damaged in the tsunami in the villages of Hihifo, Falehau and Vaipoa.[44] 289 families lived in residences which escaped damage in the disaster.[44]
Other reports outlined coastal damage from a 13-foot (4.0 m) wave on the islands.[10] Other media had earlier reported 10 people killed in Tonga.[45] Three people are missing and four sustained serious injuries.[46] Earlier, a government plane sent to the island could not land due to tsunami damage at Niuatoputapu Airport, which had been forced to close.[46] Tonga's acting Prime Minister Lord Tuita said the government is sending a second plane to Niuatoputapu, but that communication links have been damaged.[46]
The government appealed for clothing and bedding donations for residents in Niuatoputapu.[46]
Relief efforts undertaken by the Tongan government and Red Cross focused on Niuatoputapu, with support from Australia, New Zealand and France. A United Nations coordinator was scheduled to travel to Tonga to support early recovery initiatives in areas such as 'health, sanitation, water, infrastructure, psychological support, agriculture and fishing'.[34]
There were no reports of any damage to Vavaʻu island group or to the main island of Tongatapu, where the capital, Nukuʻalofa, is.[46]
French Polynesia
In the Marquesas Islands, some bays were nearly emptied of their water before a wave crashed back in and refilled the area.[47] Boats in the region immediately left port once the warning was issued. The cargo and passenger ship Aranui 3, which had been docked in Taiohae Bay on Nuku Hiva in the Marquesas, the area most impacted by a small tsunami wave, immediately evacuated the bay for open water.[47]
Outside of the Marquesas, the threat of a tsunami largely passed without much incidence. The government had initially feared a wave of approximately 90 cm (35 in), with the ability to strike all parts of the sprawling territory.[47] Five small tsunami waves, measuring 25–70 cm (10–28 in) were recorded off the coast of Papeete, Tahiti, between 11:10 am and 12 noon local time on Tuesday.[47] The first tsunami wave at 11:10 am measured 25 cm (10 in), while the second recorded wave was measured at 35 cm (14 in) at 11:23 am[47] The waves gradually increased in size, with the fifth, and last wave, being recorded at 70 cm (28 in) tall at 12:03 pm.[47]
The
High Commissioner Adolphe Colrat cancelled the tsunami red alert at 12:03 pm on Tuesday for all areas of French Polynesia except the Marquesas.[47] The alert for the Marquesas Islands was extended 2:50 pm until the threat had passed.[47]
The Guardian reported 189 deaths; 149 in Samoa, 31 American Samoa, 9 Tonga (2 October 2009).[49]
Tsunami memorial
Following the 1st anniversary of February 2011 earthquake memorial in Christchurch, a memorial dedicated to the tsunami victims was erected in the village of Leone American Samoa on 25 February 2012. Leone a small village on a bay was particularly hard-hit. The monument is called the Healing Garden.[50]
International aid
Governments
New Zealand dispatched
The United States sent the US Navy frigate
Australia sent teams of paramedics, doctors, nurses and search and rescue specialists with essential supplies like tents and medicine.[57]
Other aid came from concerned individuals and groups throughout the world, namely New Zealand, Australia, the United States and Canada.[58]
Aid agencies
- The International Red Cross through the Disaster Response Emergency Fund (DREF) "to assist with primary emergency needs in Samoa depending upon the first 'on the ground' assessments."[59]
- Oxfam International said it was ready to respond to the disaster with staff and supplies on standby. Oxfam's New Zealand branch launched a fund for donations.[60]
- Samoa and American Samoa have local Red Cross offices. New Zealand Red Cross humanitarian aid workers were also on stand-by to travel to Samoa, and had started a fund for donations.[61]The Red Cross built 76 ten-foot by twenty foot single room homes and 23 twenty foot by twenty foot multi room homes in Nuiatoputapu to replace homes destroyed there by the tsunami.
- Aid funds were also organised by the ANZ Bank.[53]
- The United States said federal aid would be made available to combat the devastation. Craig Fugate, head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, said FEMA sent an incident management assistance team and a planning and response team "to provide support and on the ground assessment" in along with assistance from the US Coast Guard.[62]
- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints organized humanitarian aid from members of the church in the USA, New Zealand, Samoa and Tonga to be delivered to those in need. On Tonga's main island of Tongatapu, 12 LDS stake presidents asked church members on the radio to donate food, clothing, cooking equipment, pillows, blankets and other necessities, and LDS church buildings in American Samoa housed the displaced victims of the disaster.[63]
- The NOKR) was a vital resource used for family reunification post the tsunami, according to the Deputy Director of the Territorial Emergency Management Coordinating Office (TEMCO).[64]
- ADRA (Adventist Development and Relief Agency) deployed a coordinator on the ground in Samoa to provide emergency management support to the response efforts. Mr Eager has taken initial aid with him, and by Friday 2 October had visited the devastated areas on the south coast of Upolu. He is coordinating ADRA's response with the Samoan Disaster Management Council and other responding agencies to compile findings and plan coordinated relief.[65][66]ADRA launched a Pacific Disaster Appeal in both Australia and New Zealand.
Emergency relief funds for donations
- The New Zealand Red Cross appeal raised donations amounting to almost NZ$3.5 million.[67]
- Oxfam New Zealand set up a rapid response emergency fund at their website.[68]
- UNICEF (NZ)
- ADRA Australia has set up a Pacific Disasters Appeal donation website,[69]and hotline (1800 242 372).
- ADRA New Zealand has a donation website[70]and call centre (0800 4 999 111).
Tsunami warnings
A
A tsunami warning remained in effect for the Marquesas Islands of French Polynesia, as five main waves were expected to strike that archipelago.[71] Warnings also remained in Tuvalu, one of the lowest lying countries in the world.[71]
Local radio stations in Tonga broadcast warnings that a tsunami was possible and that people should move away from coastal villages.
A tsunami watch was issued for islands farther from the epicenter, including Hawaii and Papua New Guinea, but not for California, USA.[72] Officials were determining whether the tsunami could reach Hawaii, the center said. It was possible that a strongly decreased wave could reach Hawaii.[73]
A tsunami advisory was issued for coastal California and the San Francisco Bay Area beginning at 9:00 pm local time as a precaution.[74][75]
Aftershocks
There were more than 40 total aftershocks with a magnitude greater than 5.0 in the 48 hours after the mainshock.[76][77]
See also
- List of earthquakes in 2009
- List of earthquakes in Samoa
- List of tsunamis
- 2022 Hunga Tonga–Hunga Haʻapai eruption and tsunami
- 2018 Sulawesi earthquake and tsunami
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External links
- Deadly tsunami strikes in Pacific – BBC News
- South Pacific: Tsunami – Sep 2009 – ReliefWeb
- A family devastated by the tsunami – full interview – 3 News
- Tsunami stories of luck and sorrow at airport – 3 News
- 2009 Samoa earthquake – Fotopedia
- NZ Samoans head home to loved ones – One News
- Tsunami in Samoa Islands – Disasters Charter
- Tsunami Animation: Samoan Islands, 29 September 2009 – Pacific Tsunami Warning Center
- Moment the tsunami hit a parking lot in American Samoa
- The International Seismological Centre has a bibliography and/or authoritative data for this event.
- ReliefWeb's main page for this event.