This morning another earthquake struck near the Samoan islands, an area already devastated by earthquake and tsunami damage which killed more than 130 people.
The earthquake from this morning registered as a 5.5 on the Richter scale. The original quake on Tuesday was an 8.0-magnitude, and triggered a tsunami. According to news reports, four tsunami waves about 15 to 20 feet high came ashore.
Both the American Red Cross and the International Federation of the Red Cross are involved in the disaster response effort. Because American Samoa is a U.S. Territory, there is a local American Red Cross chapter, and a warehouse with supplies of cots, flashlights, cooking and clean-up items. Local volunteers are already providing food and water to the survivors, and a team of volunteers from around the U.S. is being sent to help supplement those efforts.
Bill Malfara, Director of Disaster Operations Staffing, explains in the video below the establishment of the American Red Cross disaster relief operation in American Samoa. As efforts continue over an extended period, the operations on the ground change with client needs. Initially the focus is meeting overall basic needs such as feeding. Later in the relief effort the focus shifts to the specific needs of individual families.
It is truly incredible how quickly the Red Cross can mobilize its resources because of the extensive global network of support. For more details on the Red Cross response, please check http://www.redcross.org.
Map courtesy: CNN