Samoans on the island of Apolima are coming to grip the reality of climate change as they too experienced coastal flooding and inundation of land two weeks ago when king tides wreaked havoc.

According to the residents, the waves took them by surprise and reached the highest its ever been.

In an interview with the Samoa Observer on Sunday, village mayor, Leala Afe Solo said the tide rose to about more than two meters high reaching the highest its' ever been for the island.

"Fortunately, it wasn't as wavy as other low lying areas experienced otherwise the village would've experienced more than just the increasing tide but the sea level reached the highest its' ever been for us alone that it even was on the same level as our seawall," he said.

"That's the fortunate thing about it is the fact that there weren't any heavy waves coming through the reef when entering the island but we were concerned about the sea level when it rose."

According to Leala, the island proposed earlier this year for several projects including a new wharf, upgrade to their sea wall, and various other developments in the village that need improvements for the well-being of the residents.

Meanwhile, the tides hit their highest point on Thursday two weeks ago across the country according to the residents in low lying coastal areas causing flooding and sea levels to rise in low lying coastal areas.

Residents of Aleipata and other areas along the south coast of Upolu two weeks ago woke up to the ocean reaching their front yards and inside their homes as a super high tide wreaked havoc inundating roads on Friday morning.

Some people made barriers with sand bags to keep the water at bay.

The Samoa Meteorological Service at the time issued a marine warning and wind and coastal flood advisories to caution residents in these areas of strong winds and gusty periods with strong currents and very rough seas. 

The notice also served to advise residents in low-lying coastal areas to expect coastal flooding and coastal inundation.