http://www.samoanews.com/viewstory.php?storyid=9572&edition=1254304800
In the face of devastation and heartbreak following the tsunami which tore apart several villages, most notably the villages of Pago Pago and Leone in American Samoa, acts of courage and kindness surfaced, as well as villainy and thievery.Samoa News learned of one such story on Tuesday, September 29, in the aftermath of American Samoa’s worst natural disaster in decades, wherein the body count at press time was 30 and still climbing. It is a place where loss of life touches everyone, and family ties run deep and wide. Home to one of the loveliest harbors on earth, Tutuila, American Samoa, is a place of unparalled beauty. But beauty, like the weather, can be deceiving, as residents yesterday learned. It is a strange feeling, this shaking of the earth beneath us, and many awoke to a sparkling sunny day, rudely jolted out of sleep —and normal life— by a terrifying quake measuring 8.0 on the Richter scale. Longtime resident Tim Jones, who has many friends and family in the village of Pago Pago, worried about the tsunami which he felt was certain to follow the quake. Worst fears realized, he headed to town through traffic crawling down the one main road, which connects the Western district to the harbor area.Arriving in town around 10:00 am to check on people there, he parked his car next to Wildlife Resources, setting out on foot to the village of Pago Pago. Recounting the walk, he said the closer he came to the end of the harbor, the worse the devastation. He described the sights along the way as “shocking” adding that he was “in awe at the power of nature” and humbled by it as well.He witnessed overturned buses, boats washed into trees and houses and business structures turned into matchsticks. The few that remained were washed through with a strange juxtaposition of trash and treasure swirling in the debris and mud.
In the face of devastation and heartbreak following the tsunami which tore apart several villages, most notably the villages of Pago Pago and Leone in American Samoa, acts of courage and kindness surfaced, as well as villainy and thievery.Samoa News learned of one such story on Tuesday, September 29, in the aftermath of American Samoa’s worst natural disaster in decades, wherein the body count at press time was 30 and still climbing. It is a place where loss of life touches everyone, and family ties run deep and wide. Home to one of the loveliest harbors on earth, Tutuila, American Samoa, is a place of unparalled beauty. But beauty, like the weather, can be deceiving, as residents yesterday learned. It is a strange feeling, this shaking of the earth beneath us, and many awoke to a sparkling sunny day, rudely jolted out of sleep —and normal life— by a terrifying quake measuring 8.0 on the Richter scale. Longtime resident Tim Jones, who has many friends and family in the village of Pago Pago, worried about the tsunami which he felt was certain to follow the quake. Worst fears realized, he headed to town through traffic crawling down the one main road, which connects the Western district to the harbor area.Arriving in town around 10:00 am to check on people there, he parked his car next to Wildlife Resources, setting out on foot to the village of Pago Pago. Recounting the walk, he said the closer he came to the end of the harbor, the worse the devastation. He described the sights along the way as “shocking” adding that he was “in awe at the power of nature” and humbled by it as well.He witnessed overturned buses, boats washed into trees and houses and business structures turned into matchsticks. The few that remained were washed through with a strange juxtaposition of trash and treasure swirling in the debris and mud.
No comments:
Post a Comment