2009 Samoa Earthquake and

Tsunami
by Vanessa Xiong
From opunake4lyf, published October 6, 2009, 1:03-2:20
Background
● Samoa, September 29, 2009, 17:48 UTC
● Earthquake and tsunami
○ Samoa in the Ring of Fire
● Moment magnitude of 8.1
● Dip-slip/normal fault and underwater
earthquake
○ Rocks underground breaks
○ Release of energy cause seismic waves which
makes ground shake The Ring of Fire

● Earthquake caused tsunami

○ Seismic waves displace water, huge amounts
of energy moves through water
● Shaking lasted around six minutes
● Tsunami came around five minutes later
and lasted for 20 minutes Dip-slip/normal fault
 Areas affected:

● Samoa
● American Samoa
● Tonga
● Cook Islands
● Fiji
● French Polynesia
● New Zealand

Areas the earthquake and tsunami affected.

Damage
● At least 189 fatalities
● Hundreds injured
● Tsunami measures 14 metres at
highest point
● Estimated damage at US$147.25
million
● Included:
○ Natural reserves
○ Electrical infrastructure
○ Supply of fresh water
○ Villages, homes
○ Plantations Damage done by tsunami in Niuatoputapu
○ 90% homes in Niuatoputapu
Prior Preparedness for Earthquake
● Schools teach children how to
prepare
○ Evacuation drills
● Some buildings made more
“earthquake resistant”
○ Diaphragm – share horizontal forces of
earthquake with columns
○ Lightweight houses
○ Using weatherboard instead of brick or
concrete
○ Not a lot – Samoa is a rather poor country
○ Poorer people live in places more
vulnerable to natural disasters Diaphragm
● Difficult to predict/warn about
earthquakes
Prior Preparedness for Tsunami
● Schools teach children how to
prepare
○ Inform tsunamis can happen after strong
earthquakes
○ How to recognise tsunami
○ Run to high ground ASAP
● The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre
○ Seismometers
○ Pressure sensors anchored to ocean
floor
○ Five minutes warning through radio –
however not enough time for people Samoa after tsunami
During Disaster: Earthquake

● 8.1 earthquake hit Samoa at 06:48

(Samoa Standard Time)
○ Houses in villages destroyed
○ American Samoa’s electrical infrastructure
heavily damaged
○ Satala’s electricity generator damaged
○ Electricity out in islands Ofu-Olosega and
Manu’a Islands Group
○ Water system damaged in American Samoa
○ Cut off eastern part of Samoa’s electricity
and water
Searching through rubble after earthquake
During Disaster: Tsunami
● Tsunami hit approx. five minutes later
○ People listening to radio had five minutes
warning
○ Boats retreated to port immediately
○ Most survivors recognised signs of tsunami –
fled to higher land
○ Four tsunami waves 4.5 - 6 metres high and 1.6
km inland
○ 20 villages in Samoa “wiped out”
○ Pago Pago’s main street flooded, buildings
collapsed
○ People swept away, drowned
○ Beaches flattened Devastation after tsunami
○ Hospital damage in Niuatoputapu
○ 90% of homes destroyed in Niuatoputapu
○ Niuatoputapu Airport closed due to damage
Disaster Recovery
● President Obama allow federal funds for recovery
○ Federal Emergency Management Agency
○ Department of Health and Human Services
○ Department of Defense
○ 90 members Hawaiian national guard
● Electrical generators
● American Samoa Power Authority brought water in tanker trucks and repair power
● Government of Niuatoputapu donate clothing and bedding
● Red Cross recover in health, sanitation, water, infrastructure, psychological support,
agriculture and fishing
● Tsunami memorial in Leone, American Samoa on 25 February, 2012
● Refugee shelters
● New Zealand government donate $12 million and send out defence forces
● Australia send medical staff and supplies
● Aid agencies i.e. Oxfam, UNICEF, FEMA
Crews working at damage in Samoa
 Main Challenges
● Takes a lot of money – tsunami lots of
damage
○ Samoa is poor country
● Nature reserves damaged
○ Very difficult to restore to what formed after
years
○ For example, National Park of American Samoa
● Earthquake changes landscape
○ Difficult to rescue people
○ For example, child trapped in ditch which can’t
be reached because landscape changed
● 8.1 magnitude earthquake – a lot more
Damage to this extent is would take a lot of expenses to fix
than what Samoa prepared for
○ Average earthquake around 6
Bibliography
● (July 9, 2016). 2009 Samoa Earthquake and Tsunami. Retrieved June 29, 2016,
from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_Samoa_earthquake_and_tsunami
● Terreson, L. Z. (June 2, 2016). Preliminary Analysis of the September 29, 2009
Samoa Tsunami, Southwest Pacific Ocean. Retrieved June 29, 2016, from
http://walrus.wr.usgs.gov/tsunami/samoa09/
● Burrow, A. (May 8, 2011). 2009 Samoa Tsunami. Retrieved June 30, 2016, from
http://2009samoatsunami.blogspot.co.nz/2011/05/2009-samoan-earthquake-a
nd-tsunami_08.html
● Pararas-Carayannis, G. (2009). Earthquake and Tsunami of September 29,
2009 in the Samoan Island Region. Retrieved July 2, 2016, from
http://www.drgeorgepc.com/Tsunami2009Samoa.html