Director of Homeland Security Samana Semo Ve’ave’a has informed Congresswoman Uifaatali Amata that federal funding for tsunami education and preparedness for American Samoa and other territories is under threat.
Samana wrote to the Congresswoman saying the department’s sole funding source for tsunami awareness, preparedness, strengthening readiness and response efforts, the National Tsunami Mitigation Program, is being allocated for other purposes.
He said states and territories funded by the National Tsunami Mitigation Program, which is administered by the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, have received confirmation that funding from Fiscal Year 2024 in the amount of $2 million will be diverted to fund upgrades to the two tsunami warning centers. And for Fiscal Year 2025, NOAA is proposing to terminate the program completely, cutting the $6 million allocated to fund tsunami program activities for partner states and territories.
Samana told the Congresswoman, the program has afforded the Department of Homeland Security the capability to be the voice in tsunami education and preparedness, strengthening readiness and response efforts, and providing warning coordination resource for the people of American Samoa. It has helped the local community become tsunami resilient.
He said reducing and eliminating the funding will have a huge impact on the department’s ongoing tsunami education and preparedness efforts, tsunami alerting mapping of coastal villages and several ongoing projects.
Samana reminded that American Samoa lies northeast of the Tonga Trench, which was the epicenter of the September 29, 2009 earthquake. “Given our geographical location, this proximity places the Samoa island highly vulnerable to tsunamis.”
He asked for the congresswoman’s help in bringing about a solution to the funding concerns.
