Posted on: Saturday, February 26, 2005

American Samoa gets aid; storm coming

Advertiser Staff

The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Polar Star, a 399-foot icebreaker from Seattle, has delivered supplies to American Samoa.

The Polar Star and crew were heading home from a deployment to Antarctica when they were diverted to Ta'u and Ofu, two of the Manu'a islands hit by Hurricane Olaf on Feb. 16.

The ship delivered more than 70,600 pounds of supplies, including bottled water, tents, tarps and engineering kits.

The National Weather Service, meanwhile, issued a hurricane warning for the territory's Swains Island and the rest of American Samoa is on a storm watch. Yesterday morning, Hurricane Percy was 420 nautical miles northwest of the main island of Tutuila.