Samoa/Tonga Tsunami Update 4

Additional information about the effects of the tsunami have been reported in OCHA's Situation Report(SITREP)#9.

Samoa/Tonga • Tsunami
Situation Report No. 9
Date: 14 October 2009


This report was issued by OCHA New York, with inputs from OCHA Fiji and the OCHA Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific. It covers the period from 11 October to 14 October. The next report will be issued around

16 October.


Samoa
The official death toll is 143, with five people missing and 310 injured. The most updated figures, which are based on combined data from the Ministry of Health (MoH) and the Samoa Red Cross, suggest that approximately 4,500 people have been directly affected by the tsunami, most of who have been displaced. However, this figure is assumed to be the lower estimate since the assessment is still on-going to completely
cover the affected areas.

The National Disaster Management Office (NDMO) reported that urgently needed relief items include building and gardening tools; food and water storage containers; hurricane lamps; mosquito nets; building materials; cooking utensils; cooking stoves; radios and batteries; tables and chairs; school furniture; and bedding. New Zealand navy vessel HMNZS Canterbury is expected to arrive in Apia tentatively in the morning of 16 October with relief materials. Key infrastructure and lifeline utilities have been restored, such as communications, roads, water and power.

The humanitarian response is continuing, but early-recovery planning is now underway. The Early Recovery Framework will be submitted to the Government on 15 October.

Tonga
Official reports indicate that nine people died and seven were seriously injured as a result of the tsunami. The Government estimates the total cost of damage at Tonga pa’anga 18.2 million (approximately $9.5 million). It was reported that 89 out of 225 houses on the island were totally destroyed and 56 were damaged. Public buildings were also destroyed, and water and sanitation systems seriously damaged.

The Government of Tonga has provided emergency relief with assistance from Red Cross, religious groups, private Tongan citizens and FRANZ (an Australia, New Zealand and France agreement to respond to disasters in the Pacific). Emergency-relief needs have been almost fully met. However, the Government has identified the following needs to support the affected population until early-recovery initiatives are implemented: water supply; refuse collection; rubbish and debris removal; health, including the provision of a field hospital; food aid; school materials; insecticide and disinfectant chemicals; and storage sheds.

The Government is preparing an early-recovery plan that is expected to be ready later this week. The early- recovery phase is estimated at Tonga pa’anga 14,745,000 (approximately $7.7 million).

I. HIGHLIGHTS/KEY PRIORITIES
• The death toll in Samoa is 143. Five people are still missing and 310 are injured.
• Approximately 4,500 people have been directly affected by the tsunami in Samoa.
• In Samoa, urgently needed relief items include building and gardening tools; food and water storage containers; hurricane lamps; mosquito nets; building materials; cooking utensils; cooking stoves; radios and batteries; tables and chairs; bedding; and school furniture.
• Key infrastructure and lifeline utilities have been restored in Samoa. However, lack of sanitation facilities remains an issue and support is needed to ensure full coverage of sanitation facilities. The humanitarian response continues in Samoa, but early-recovery planning is now underway. The Early Recovery Framework will be submitted to the Government of Samoa on 15 October.
• In Tonga, the estimated total cost of damage is Tongan pa’anga 18.2 million (approximately US$9.5 million). The early-recovery phase is estimated at Tongan pa’anga 14,745,000(approximately $7.7 million).

II. Situation Overview
The mission of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is to mobilize and coordinate effective and principled humanitarian action in partnership with national and international actors.



Initial Assessments

Samoa
• An International Tsunami Survey team has arrived in Apia. The team is coordinating with representatives of the Pacific Islands Applied Geoscience Commission and UNESCO Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission to align their work with existing data collected during assessments conducted by various clusters.
• Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) will send a team to Samoa next week to conduct a needs-assessment survey for reconstruction and rehabilitation.

Tonga
• Assessment teams were dispatched to Niuatoputapu on 7 and 8 October. Team members included officials from various government ministries, AusAID and the United Nations Resident Coordinator. The assessment identified gaps in humanitarian assistance and early recovery, and rehabilitation and reconstruction needs. The findings will feed into the Government’s Early Recovery Plan.

Logistics

Samoa
• The DHL disaster response team data-entry sheet was circulated to all logistics cluster participants. Individual organizations are expected to begin entering data on logistics spreadsheets for compilation.
• A custom liaison officer confirmed that the concessionary customs privilege for disaster-relief goods is not limited to the “30 Days State of Emergency”. A specified end date is yet to be confirmed.
• AusAID will provide the commercial shipping schedule to all logistics cluster partner organizations.

Tonga
• The French MV Revi navy vessel departed to Niuatoputapu with additional relief supplies. The French CASA aircrafts also arrived in Tonga with further assistance. A new vehicle is needed to ensure reliable transportation. Additional French patrol boats will arrive in the next few weeks for assistance.
• Distribution of relief supplies is well organized. Some relief goods are still in Nuku’Alofa ready for shipment to Niuatoputapu.

Emergency Shelter/Non-Food Items (NFIs)

Samoa
• IFRC/Oxfam reported that several schools are accommodating displaced persons and need to be vacated before schools commence. One school is accommodating almost 300 displaced persons.
• The Samoa Red Cross is procuring 500 sets of three different types of “Getting Started” household kits. These include items such as wire cutters, towels and string; community tools comprising a cement mixer, ladder, wheelbarrow, chainsaw, rivet machine and fuel cans; and 500 sets of Demolition and Rebuild Kit items, such as hammers, bush knives, spades, axes, shovels and saws.
• World Vision has been working with the Samoa Disaster Management Office to distribute NFIs for 2,500 beneficiaries. These include 10-litre collapsible jerry cans; 32,000 water-purification tablets; 497 family hygiene kits; 99 baby hygiene kits; 998 tropical blankets; 998 mosquito nets; and 497 tarpaulins and equipment for sanitary facilities. Most NFIs have already been distributed to the affected
communities.
• HMNZS Canterbury is expected to arrive in Apia on 16 October. It carries equipment and supplies such as telephone poles; electrical supplies; water pipe supplies; plastic containers; construction tools; and donated items.

Education

Tonga
• School has recommenced. The Hihifo primary-school building was partly damaged, but the Vaipoa and Falehau primary-school buildings were unaffected. The tsunami adversely affected students preparing for exams, especially in primary schools. Therefore, the director of education advised that Form 5 students will sit their exams in November. However, all Class 6 pupils in Niuatoputapu will not sit for exams, but will
receive a compassionate pass to secondary school next year.
• School supplies and materials are still needed, as most students lost everything in the tsunami including uniforms, stationery and school materials. These will be procured from the Emergency Fund by the Ministry of Education and shipped to the island next week.

Emergency Telecoms

Tonga
• Land-line telephone communications in Niuatoputapu are fully restored. Tonga Communications Corporation is trying to establish a temporary mobile service in Niuatoputapu to enable communication. The Ministry of Information and Communications has received satellite telephones for people to call their families. The phones will be transported to the island on the next available flight.

Food and Nutrition

Samoa
• Only limited stocks of agricultural hand tools are available. Garden tools are urgently needed.

Tonga
• Crops and livestock are reportedly mostly intact. A number of boats were lost.

Health

Samoa
• MoH has completed a thorough health assessment and is currently analysing the data.
• MoH has started water quality and health monitoring for a potential outbreak of epidemic diseases in the affected areas.
• New Zealand reports confirm there have been no reported outbreaks of any disease or community-wide infections. However, this will continue to be a key focus for medical teams as long as there are clusters of displaced families with limited sanitation and hygiene capability.

Tonga
• A field hospital is needed.

Protection

Samoa
• United Nations Children’s Fund and Save the Children are working in partnership with local counterparts, especially the MoH, and Ministries of Women and Education, to create safe spaces for children including in schools and communities.
• The Samoa Red Cross has mobilized 30 volunteers who are consistently providing psychosocial support in parallel to relief distribution.
• The Samoa Red Cross has received 55 requests to help restore family links.

Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH)

Samoa
• The WASH cluster chaired by the Government is now called “Samoa Water Sector – Post-Tsunami Support”.
• Water supplies to all affected areas have been resumed. Stand pipes have been installed at regular intervals to facilitate access to water.
• Six water tanks provided by the EU are installed in strategic locations for the affected population. Bluebird offered four water tanks on loan. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) also donated 10 1,000-litre water tanks.
• The Samoa Red Cross is procuring an additional 54 water tanks (nine of 5,000 litre; 15 of 3,000 litre; 30 of 1,000 litre). It plans to place them in the area from Lalomanu to Saleamua.
• Lack of sanitation facilities remains an issue. The Latter-day Saints Church is building basic pit latrines in selected areas. The Public Health Department is constructing temporary toilets. Further support is needed to ensure a full coverage of sanitation facilities.
• On 10 October, IFRC and Oxfam conducted an assessment for WASH needs in five schools in the tsunami-affected areas. These are the undamaged schools that require additional water and sanitation facilities to accommodate additional school children. The schools plan to host children up to six months until the damaged/destroyed schools are rehabilitated.
• At this moment, identified gaps include the need to empty septic tanks and dispose of solid waste.

Tonga
• The water supply is fully restored. However, water may be needed in the future. Sanitation and clean water is a concern. MoH is assessing the required assistance.

Early Recovery
Samoa
• Mr. Jordan Ryan, the UNDP Assistant Administrator and Director of the Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery, visited Tonga and Samoa last week. He reinforced the United Nations’ commitment to early recovery and rehabilitation efforts, and underscored the need for the United Nations system to rapidly and smoothly shift to the early-recovery phase. UNDP has committed $500,000 for the tsunami response.
During the mission, Mr. Ryan visited the affected communities and was impressed with the Government’s timely and effective response.
• An Early Recovery Framework draft will be available on 15 October for presentation to the Government. The final consultation with Inter-Agency Standing Committee members and cluster lead agencies will take place on 14 October.

Tonga
• The Government is developing the Early Recovery Plan, which is expected to be available later this week.


Samoa
• Clusters are operational and planning their response and recovery actions with their Government counterparts.
• Cluster information, maps and post-disaster aerial images are available on the website created by UNDAC: http://www.pacificdisaster.net:8080/Plone/


Tonga
• Donor response to the disaster has been positive. New Zealand will commit New Zealand dollars 1.5 million (approximately $1.1 million) towards recovery and reconstruction efforts, as announced by the New Zealand Foreign Minister, Mr. Murray McCully, on 14 October.

All humanitarian partners, including donors and recipient agencies, are encouraged to inform the OCHA Financial Tracking Service of cash and in-kind contributions by sending an email to: fts@reliefweb.int


OCHA Pacific: Mr. Peter Muller, Regional Disaster Response Adviser
Email: peter.muller@undp.org Tel: +679 331 6761 Mobile: +679 999 1664

OCHA Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific: Ms. Yindee Lertcharoenchok, Humanitarian Affairs Analyst
(Disaster Response), Email: lertcharoenchok@un.org Tel: +66 (0) 2288 2437

OCHA New York: Ms. Akiko Yoshida, Associate Humanitarian Affairs Officer
Email: yoshidaa@un.org Tel: +1 212 963 1149
IV. Coordination
V. Funding
VI. Contact

News reports can be found on Radio New Zealand International, TVNZ and on Relief Web.

APCEDI will continue to monitor this situation as more details become clear.
________________________________

Kevin Vang
APCEDI Coordinator

For the full interactive APCEDI Alerts go to: http://www.afap.org/apcedi/

To donate to AFAP's Disaster Preparedness, Relief and Rehabilitation Programs in Asia and the Pacific, go to http://www.afap.org and click on the "Donate On-Line" icon in the top right-hand corner.

To sign up for AFAP's free APCEDI email service, please go to http://www.afap.org/apcedi/ and register your email address.

Samoa/Tonga Tsunami Update 3

Additional information about the effects of the tsunami have been reported in OCHA's Situation Report(SITREP)#6.

I. HIGHLIGHTS/KEY PRIORITIES

- A powerful earthquake struck the south of the main Samoan Island chain on 29 September. A series of quake-triggered tsunami waves that followed hit American Samoa, Samoa, and the small northern island of Niuatoputapu in Tonga.

- Death toll in Samoa is 137, with 310 people injured and six still missing.

- About 3,200 people (640 families) have been left homeless in Samoa.

- The Government of Samoa has downgraded the situation from a "State of Disaster" to a "State of Emergency".

- A national burial service for the victims will be held in Samoa on 8 October.

- Humanitarian response in both Samoa and Tonga is transitioning from relief to early recovery. Potable water continues to be the priority concern.

- In an all members state meeting at UN Headquarters in New York, the Emergency Relief Coordinator John Holmes briefed on Asia Pacific disasters including situations in Samoa and Tonga.

II. Situation Overview

In the morning of 29 September 2009, a powerful earthquake struck south of the main Samoan Island chain with its epicentre 190 kilometres south of the Samoan capital of Apia. Few minutes later, as warned by the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre, a series of quake-triggered tsunami waves hit American Samoa, Samoa and the small northern island of Niuatoputapu in Tonga. The tsunami waves, some of which are said to have been as high as 6 metres, caused fatalities, casualties and serious damage to the Pacific Island countries.

Samoa

The death toll in Samoa now stands at 137, with the majority of the victims being female, young or elderly. About 310 people were injured and treated in hospital, and six still missing. Assessments by the Samoan Red Cross (SRC) indicate that 40 villages have been affected along the south-eastern coast, with 20 villages completely destroyed by tsunami waves. Approximately 3,200 people (640 families) have been left homeless. People are living in makeshift shelters in their gardens on higher grounds and with host families. The Government of Samoa (GoS) estimated the cost of damage to infrastructure, public and private properties at around Samoan tala 380 million (approximately US$ 150 million).

The relief effort is focussed in two locations: (1) the southern coast of Upolu, where the most significant damage was sustained, and (2) the small island of Manono, where infrastructure and water supply were damaged. The GoS, assisted by Australia and New Zealand, is repairing the water system.

Samoa has downgraded the situation from a state of "disaster" to an "emergency". Traditional community structures and the system of traditional leadership "matai" assisted greatly in the response, facilitating affected families to quickly find support from other family members or neighbours in the community.

A national burial and service for the victims will be held in Samoa on 8 October. So far, nine families have accepted the offer for burial in mass graves.

Tonga

A total of nine deaths have been reported, with 465 people affected and more than 300 people left homeless as a result of the tsunami that struck the island of Niuatoputapu. Eighty houses have been destroyed and an additional 56 houses were damaged although they were considered repairable.

The situation in Tonga appears to be stabilizing. The Tongan Red Cross (TRC) reported that the priority needs of survivors are water and shelter, and added that immediate relief needs of those affected would be met by existing resources.

While the "state of emergency" is still in effect, a government assessment mission planned to commence on 7 October will clarify whether the "state of emergency" can be lifted. The mission will also assess gaps in relief and identify early recovery needs. Potential gap areas are sanitation or other specialized needs such as women and children's health. The Government of Tonga (GoT) anticipates that they would know more about this subject within three to four days. Priority areas for early recovery activities are likely to be WASH, shelter, and health infrastructure, psychosocial support, and fishing.

Coordination of humanitarian activities has been ably managed by the Government supported by the FRANZ collaboration mechanism, which is an arrangement among Australia, New Zealand and France to respond to disasters in the Pacific. The UN Resident Coordinator, together with the UNDP Assistant Administrator and Director of the Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery, Mr. Jordan Ryan, are also in Tonga to support early recovery initiatives.

News reports can be found on Radio New Zealand International, TVNZ and on Relief Web.

APCEDI will continue to monitor this situation as more details become clear.
________________________________

Kevin Vang
APCEDI Coordinator

For the full interactive APCEDI Alerts go to: http://www.afap.org/apcedi/

To donate to AFAP's Disaster Preparedness, Relief and Rehabilitation Programs in Asia and the Pacific, go to http://www.afap.org and click on the "Donate On-Line" icon in the top right-hand corner.

To sign up for AFAP's free APCEDI email service, please go to http://www.afap.org/apcedi/ and register your email address.

Samoa/Tonga Tsunami Update 2

Aftershocks from Wednesday's quake continue to affect Samoa and Tonga.Additional information about the effects of the tsunami have been reported in OCHA's Situation Report(SITREP)#2.

Western Samoa
Western Samoa has declared a State of Disaster and requested assistance from foreign missions and the United Nations. 62 people are now confirmed dead and 142 confirmed injured. However, the Samoan NDMO believes that up to 100 people may have been killed with many more injured and displaced. Widespread damage to houses and infrastructure has occurred. However, UNDP Samoa reports that major roads on Upolu Island are not too damaged.

In many instances, relatives from Apia are driving to affected areas to collect injured family members and bring them to Apia hospital. Caritas Australia reports that they have converted the Pastoral Centre at Logoipulotu in Savaii to an emergency medical centre. It is also reported that many families are providing shelter to relatives who may have had their homes damaged or destroyed.

Eye witness reports suggest that looters have entered some resorts but there are no reports of widespread looting at this point.

Tonga
The Government of Tonga has declared a State of Emergency for Niuatoputapu, the closest island to Samoa (about 400 miles North of Nuku’alofa). The total population of Niuatoputapu is approximately 1,000 people. Tonga Defence Services have confirmed that 6 people are dead and 4 missing. Widespread damage is also reported, including to the hospital, which the New Zealand Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency Management reports have been destroyed, and many coastal villages.

The Australian vessel – the Voea Neiafu – will depart Nuku'alofa at 1900 local time tonight (30 September Fiji time). Its estimated arrival time in Niuatoputapu is 1900 local tomorrow (1 October Fiji Time). The ship will take food, stores (tents, tarpaulins etc.), medical supplies, a 5-person civilian medical team, one Tonga Red Cross personnel and a two-person media team.

American Samoa
There are 19 reported, but unconfirmed fatalities, in Pago Pago, the capital. US President Barack Obama has declared a “Major Disaster” and FEMA are coordinating a response.

Clear Areas
Kiribati, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Niue, and Fiji have not suffered major damage as a result of the Tsunami.

News reports can be found on Radio New Zealand International, TVNZ and on Relief Web.

APCEDI will continue to monitor this situation as more details become clear.
________________________________

Kevin Vang
APCEDI Coordinator

For the full interactive APCEDI Alerts go to: http://www.afap.org/apcedi/

To donate to AFAP's Disaster Preparedness, Relief and Rehabilitation Programs in Asia and the Pacific, go to http://www.afap.org and click on the "Donate On-Line" icon in the top right-hand corner.

To sign up for AFAP's free APCEDI email service, please go to http://www.afap.org/apcedi/ and register your email address.