Posted on: Friday, February 18, 2005

American Samoa homes hit hard by Hurricane Olaf

Associated Press

PAGO PAGO, American Samoa — Rescuers saved four people found floating in open water yesterday after Hurricane Olaf struck the region with winds of 160 mph, damaging numerous homes in the U.S. territory.

New Zealand and U.S. planes found the survivors during a hunt for boats missing from a commercial fishing fleet based in neighboring Samoa.

The Category 5 storm moved on after passing within 60 miles of American Samoa's Manu'a Islands, where wind and rain destroyed homes, caused landslides and downed power lines.

There were no reports of deaths or injuries from the islands, home to some 2,000 people, but many houses were seriously damaged, officials said.

There have been no reports from the islands of Olosega and Ofu, where communications have been down since Tuesday.

The villages of Ta'u and Faleasao appear to have taken the brunt of the storm.

"Most of the homes are gone and in Faleasao, the elementary school is all flooded because of the waves," Ale Filoialii, head of the American Samoa TeleCommunications Authority, said. "Some homes are standing without roofs."

Olaf had gusts of up to 190 mph, and sent waves 30 to 40 feet high onto the shores of Ta'u, Ofu and Olosega, the National Weather Service said. The main island of Tutuila had two landslides.

As the cleanup began, Gov. Togiola Tulafono urged the islands' 2,000 residents to help each other however they could. "We all need each other's support, help and cooperation," he said.

The people rescued were found floating in a life raft. They had been aboard an unnamed vessel, reported to be a Samoan boat with a local crew, that sank Wednesday in 50-foot waves and 120-mph winds about 95 miles north of Samoa.

New Zealand Rescue Coordination Center spokesman Steve Corbett said a New Zealand air force Orion airplane resumed searching for the two crew members who were still missing, and was also looking for a boat reported missing overnight in the area with seven crew on board.

Heidi Brook, a spokeswoman for the center, said search planes had so far found a total of 26 people and four boats in difficulty in the seas north of Samoa and around American Samoa.