As Military Troops Arrive in Samoa With Aid, Equipment, and Strong Backs, Hope For Finding Survivors Runs Out

Sopo'aga Falls in Happier Times

Quite possibly in a location not greatly affected by the Tsunami

The falls are on Upolu in Independent Samoa.

BTW, No pictures of the aftermath of the Samoa Tsunami are available at time of publication by searching Creative Commons (attribution) at Flickr.  There are many copyright covered pictures available by going to Flickr.com and searching.  Though they are not legal for sharing you can go and view them yourself at any time. Personally, for posterity, I'd rather have these nice pictures of how it was before, will be again some day, and may still be in the interior of the islands.

Picture allowed via Creative Commons license. No support of nor further contribution to this blog by photographer/artist implied. Thanks to "NeilsPhotography" at flickr.com. Click on picture to go to original site and for link to options on different sizes. Rollover picture for further attribution.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/neilspicys/ / CC BY 2.0

Military troops arrived in American Samoa Thursday, two days after a large Tsunami killed at least 31 people, with food and ready to help islanders with recovery.

AP has the goods at link below.

But first:

Does anyone need me to 'splain' how much faster the troops got to Samoa in the middle of the Pacific than they got into New Orleans?

Lover's Leap, Savaii Samoa

I could find a lot better things to do than jump, here.

Again this is from an earlier, happier time.  The location is described as Gagaifomauga, Western Samoa 

Picture allowed via Creative Commons license. No support of nor further contribution to this blog by photographer/artist implied. Thanks to "Jorge P. Price" at flickr.com. Click on picture to go to original site and for link to options on different sizes. Rollover picture for further attribution.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/30642115@N03/ / CC BY 2.0

I am glad the troops are already there.  I was afraid Samoa would have to wait months for aid, which would be true if the length of time before arrival of the troops was multiplied by the distance to the disaster compared to New Orleans.  I would not deny the islanders every help they can get.  I just wonder why New Orleans, so much closer, had to wait 5 days for "the troops" to arrive.

(Yes, I know that individual a squadron of Navy helicopter pilots started working as soon as they could get permission which was 1 1/2 days after first asked, but that came from the bottom, not the top. 

Lots more news about Samoa's attempt to recover at  AP "Military searches for bodies, brings aid to Samoas ".

Lots of individual stories.  Caution: they do not all end happily for everyone involved.

Report notes that Australian, and New Zealand aid and rescuers went to Independent Samoa, while American troops are focusing on the American territory of Samoa.

Falls, Upolo, Samoa

Another beauty spot in on the islands

No wonder the islands get lots of vacationers from New Zealand and Australia.  People actually get vacations in those nations, and apparently wages that allow respites overseas.

Picture allowed via Creative Commons license. No support of nor further contribution to this blog by photographer/artist implied. Thanks to "Jorge P. Price" at flickr.com. Click on picture to go to original site and for link to options on different sizes. Rollover picture for further attribution.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/30642115@N03/ / CC BY 2.0

The Tsunami was just one of the problems that American Samoa faced.  According to the AP Chicken of the Sea, one of two big tuna packing companies with plants on the island was already planning to close their American Samoan locality this week as the federal government had decided to enforce miminum wage standards in the territory a while back.  Apparently the Starkist plant wasn't heavily damaged and wasn't planning on closing as far as the AP report tells us, but there are likely to be lots more Samoans out of work, and not just for a short while.

 There will be work to do in rebuilding for a while, but what about later.   Where can we find jobs for Samoans?

The government should hire some Samoans to help teach other islanders (at the least) about how little warning they might get before a Tsunami.   I couldn't think of any group that would be more impassioned and who could  tell others with more conviction how real losing friends, and family members could become with any delay in the face of a possibly Tsunami.   Even if the fascination with the Pacific Tsunami Warning System does get wiped out of the mainstream press with this latest disaster, years worth of putting all the Pacific's hope on that one place thousands of miles from islands that need warnings will require some hammering down.  

A speech about Tsunami preparedness and the consequences of delay could be coordinated with a town's Tsunami drill, whether the first or one of many.  (Drills should be started immediately.)

Whoa! Rock Surfing!

Looks like it's even more fun than it is dangerous.

Do they rent helmets and tail bone protectors?  I think I might even prefer full body armor, like a riot cop.  Those rumors that I'm a congenital whimp are definitely true. It's also true that you can't sue Disney if you get wiped out on this thing.

Picture allowed via Creative Commons license. No support of nor further contribution to this blog by photographer/artist implied. Thanks to "NeilsPhotography" at flickr.com. Click on picture to go to original site and for link to options on different sizes. Rollover picture for further attribution.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/neilspicys/ / CC BY 2.0

 Another report, this one in the Honolulu Advertiser, "Tsunami left Samoans with little time to flee " shows that escape was a matter of when people decided to make a run for it.  Some people waited until waves were about to crash on the beach, or so I got from the testimony of a man near the top of the report.

More education, Tsunami drills could help clear up when  people need to get to higher ground.

An AFP report "No hope for Samoa tsunami missing as toll rises " focusing mostly on Independent Samoa especially around Lalomanu says that hope no longer exists that more survivors will be found, and that efforts from now on will focus on recovery of bodies and rebuilding.  As first reports noted, the ones I've read lately seem to show clearly that children and elderly bore the brunt of the Tsunami's killing rage.   

It is for the little ones and the frail as well as because of the speed of Tsunamis that escape needs to be started early.

There are Mangroves on these islands, but apparently people live between the swamp trees and the ocean instead of behind them, which has been shown to provide safety from storms and Tsunamis.   I know.  I doubt I'd want to live behind some weedy trees, instead of in sight of the beautiful sea if I lived on an island too.  That's why Tsunami drills and better warning for places that don't feel the earthquake are necessary.

And the PTWC had better find a way to start saving lives sometime soon.  After the miscues on Tuesday, it's looking like it might not be very useful.

Sunset, Manolu Is, Upolu, Samoa

Dripping with Beauty

I can see why people want to live by the sea on the islands of the South Pacific.  They just need to know how to get to safety in the event of Tsunamis and Typhoons

Picture allowed via Creative Commons license. No support of nor further contribution to this blog by photographer/artist implied. Thanks to "Jorge P. Price" at flickr.com. Click on picture to go to original site and for link to options on different sizes. Rollover picture for further attribution.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/30642115@N03/ / CC BY 2.0

tags: samoa  tsunami  military  relief efforts  recovery  pictures  american samoa  upolu  western samoa  rock surfing  

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