Savai’i hit harder by Cyclone Amos

By Sarafina Sanerivi 28 April 2016, 12:00AM

Cyclone Amos which lasted only a few hours has left its mark on some parts of the big island of Savaii. 

Though many parts of Samoa were spared,  Fa’asaleleaga and Gagaifomauga residents were perhaps hit the hardest.

A grateful mother from Saipipi spoke to the Samoa Observer about her experience on Saturday night.

Su’emalo Apulu Tofa, said that they are grateful that no one was hurt.

“What happened on Saturday night could’ve been worse, but God was at work and I know He saved us from the cyclone,” she said. 

“It was unexpected; when we got the warning, we didn’t really think that there was going to be a cyclone, but we still prepared.”

On Saturday night, Su’emalo said her extended family slept together in the bigger house at the front except for her older brother and his son who slept in a small fale at the back. 

“It was late at night and it was raining heavily and the wind was strong when my brother came and woke us up to evacuate. 

“We didn’t know what happened until we looked outside and saw that there was water everywhere.

“We gathered clothes and towels for our children and evacuated to our other house on higher grounds. It looked like an ocean outside of our house and it even flooded inside the houses of our neighbours. We also saw our neighbour’s car floated on the water.”

Su’emalo said it was a terrifying experience, and they were all worried about the safety of their children. 

According to Su’emalo, water was coming from a river on a mountain at the back of the village and it created an “ocean within the whole village.” 

“We’ve had flooding days before back in the days, but it was nothing like what happened on Saturday night. It was the first time we’ve witnessed something like that, we were all scared seeing that the water kept getting higher and we were just hoping for the best.”

The grateful mother said they were scared and didn’t know what to do, until the seawall broke and created a path for the water to go to the sea. 

“It was indeed a miracle and we have our Heavenly Father to thank for his love and protection. We’ve witnessed how the sea sucked in all the water from the river that created an ocean around our homes and we are thankful that no one was affected from it.”

The roads at Saipipi were damaged as a result of this. 

Two sides have been greatly damaged when the sea walls broke on Saturday night. 

However, L.T.A officials and others came to the rescue early Sunday morning and Monday to fix the damages. 

Joelan Beach Fales at Lano has also been wrecked. 

The sea wall was smashed destroying the beach fales and the road. 

Another area that was badly affected were the roads between the villages of Manase and Safotu in the district of Gagaifomauga. 

Landslide and soil erosion caused major problems in terms of transportation.

Big trees had blocked the roads due to the landslide and soil erosion. 

There was no electricity and water supply was disconnected from Saturday night until Monday night at this part of the island. 

By Sarafina Sanerivi 28 April 2016, 12:00AM
Samoa Observer

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