Fed disaster relief OK'd for Am Samoa following July King Tides

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — U.S President Joe Biden has approved American Samoa’s request for a  federal Presidential Disaster Declaration following high surf, high winds and flooding that impacted the territory in July this year, especially at shoreline villages such as Fatumafuti where high surf and debris blocked the road for hours, slowing down traffic.

The approval came following a completed assessment conducted territory-wide by ASG. But details of the assessment report, submitted to the U.S Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and the estimate cost of damage, is not yet publicly available.

According to the White House, Biden declared today, Sept. 16, that a major disaster exists in American Samoa and ordered federal assistance to supplement recovery efforts in the areas affected by high surf, high winds, and flooding from of July 12 to July 15, 2022.

Federal funding is available to the territory and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by the high surf, high winds, and flooding in the territory of American Samoa, according to the Presidential declaration.

Federal funding is also available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures in all areas in the territory.

FEMA Administrator, Deanne Criswell has named Benigno B. Ruiz as the Federal Coordinating Officer for federal recovery operations for American Samoa.

Additional designations may be made at a later date if requested by the territory and warranted by the results of further damage assessments, according to Biden’s declaration.

Upon hearing the news, Congresswoman Uifa’atali Amata said, “I want to thank President Biden and all those in American Samoa who provide the federal government with the necessary documentation to support this declaration. The United States has supported our islands repeatedly in recent years, including Storm Gita, and Covid-related funding. I want to thank FEMA for these important services to ensure safety, and thank you to all those who will do necessary rebuilding work at the flooding sites.”

The Governor’s Office is expected to issue a statement soon on the Presidential declaration.